The Power of Prayer: Brutal Honesty

Introduction: Jeremiah: The Weeping Prophet

Persecuted because of ‘the word of the Lord’ (20:8).

vs. 7: The Lord has deceived me (seduced?)

Humiliation

Flip Flop

vs. 8: Just doing my job

You tricked me because you’re stronger and now look at me!

Laughingstock of town- the spiritual clown.

vs. 8: Just doing my job

Speaking violence and destruction, just doing what you told me to say

-

vs.9: Can’t not speak

You are so strong, that there are physical side-effects to my resistance.

vs.10: Surrounded by Terror and utter loneliness

“Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” Say all my close friends ready to see him crack.

vs. 11: Confessions

Lord is a dread warrior (mighty warrior)

Those who persecute will be punished (stumble, overcome, shamed, unsuccessful, eternally dishonored)

vs.12: Prayer of Vengeance?

vs. 13: Sing and Praise

Delivered the needy!

vs. 14-18: Self-Deprecation

Cursed be the day on which I was born!

Cursed be the man who brought new to my father, “A son is born!”

The guy who thought he brought good news, may that man be destroyed like Judah will. Let him hear a cry in the morning and an alarm at noon (destruction is coming!), because he didn’t abort me.

Would rather have my grave be within the safe confounds of the womb than what he’s exposed to out here in the stocks.

Lessons #1:

Introduction: Jeremiah: The Weeping Prophet

Prayer Exposes our Weaknesses

Prayer Exposes our Greatest Fear

Jeremiah: The Weeping Prophet

No wimp: courageous, faced constant persecution.

“Weeping didn’t summarize his character”

God told him to prophecy against Judah

High Priest, Peshhur beat him and sent him to the stocks.

Jeremiah spent 24 hours in the public stocks outside the Gates of Benjamins. First beaten, and the placed out there to suffer.

Jeremiah spent 24 hours in the public stocks outside the Gates of Benjamins. First beaten, and the placed out there to suffer.

You’re not having a good day, are you?

You’re not having a good day, are you?

READ PASSAGE

Vs. 7: Lament Invites what we Feel Despite Reality

Lord you have deceived me… Seduced me

God, you sort of tricked me and now I’m in a pickle.

Prayer

Story of Trapping Mice

Story of Trapping Mice

That’s how it feels for Jeremiah

Vs. 8: Lament Invites Unfiltered Emotions

I’m shouting what you’re telling me to shout but...

The Word has become a reproach and derision

Reproach: “Become a disgrace”

Derision: “Victim of ridicule”

God’s Word has become the cause of my public humiliation!

Vs.9: Lament Exposes our Rebellion

Prayer

I’m done with this. I’m shutting out my mouth.

Cannot hold it in. Your power will overcome.

Resents God’s Power:

God deceives him and then experienced side-effects

Forget it, Lord! I’m done with this… but then leads to a different type of exhaustion for actually speaking the truth!

“I’m sick and tired of you seducing me with your words! Done with what you’ve called me to!”

Not done with you, but done with this calling...

To Resist is futile!

Resentment towards God’s power grows!

Vs. 10: Lament Exposes our Deepest Vulnerabilities

State Jeremiah is in is dark: Terror on every side. Rock, hard place, brick wall, and stone

Loneliness. Closest friends are ready to take him down.

One thing to express lament within community, another thing to express lament within loneliness

Culture’s Greatest Fear and the Church’s Greatest Gift- get back to loneliness...

Point: Have you shared with the Lord you deepest vulnerability or fear? What have you bottled up that needs to be released in prayer?

One thing to express lament within community, another thing to express loneliness

Prayer Exposes our Weaknesses

Vss. 11-12: Lament Exposes Broken Desires

How to justify the type of prayer Jeremiah prays here?

Lord rules, therefore pelt my enemies with all you’ve got!

Lord of Hosts, who sees all (who sees my heart and mind- innards!), met me see your vengeance upon them!

Prayer against that Person who Cut you Off

Prayers that come out of total brokenness may not be totally graceful.

Prayers that come out of total brokenness may not be totally graceful.

Vss. 14-18: Lament within Context of Faith

Bob: So how was your week?

What’s with this?!

What’s with this?!

Billy: Well, I’ve been praying all week that my co-worker would be inflicted with boils and that locusts would eat every square inch of his lawn.

Well, I’ve been praying all week that my co-worker would be inflicted with boils and that locusts would eat every square inch of his lawn.

Lament

What not to say when things go wrong?

Sally: I’ve been praying that my boss would get fired and that the Lord would publicly shame him somehow in the middle a Harris Teeter Parking lot.

You just need to have more faith.

You just need to trust that the Lord has your best interest.

vs. 13: Lament Invite Coming Up for Air

Joy of the Lord always

Pschitzophrenic in his Lament! Literal: Split-minded, torn-mind.

Reminder that all of what’s shared and what will be shared comes within the context of faith.

Not from a well of doubt, but from the pits of faith.

HINGE VERSE

Everything is going to be ok?

Vss.14-18: Lament Permits Litanies of Self-Deprecation

Laments Exposes Brutal Honesty

Laments Exposes Brutal Honesty

Litany of Self-Deprecation

Cursed be the day on which I was born!

Cursed be the man who brought new to my father, “A son is born!”

The guy who thought he brought good news, may that man be destroyed like Judah will be destroyed- you know that country that you called me to prophecy against and put me in stocks for a day and now I’m a total social disgrace, outcast, loner?

Yeah, let that guy hear a cry in the morning and an alarm at noon (destruction is coming!), because he didn’t abort me.

Would rather have my grave be within the safe confounds of the womb than what he’s exposed to out here in the stocks.

How do we understand this? Is this kind of prayer allowed? Like, isn’t it heretical to think such a thing? Are we allowed to speak with such anger, such depth of depression, such despair?

YES! Seasonal thing.

Understanding this level of Deprecation:

Understanding Brutal Honesty, even if it’s Wrong:

The Desire to Die can be Part of the Lived Faith Experience

Now, this last main section of the prayer stands alone...

YES! Seasonal thing.

Line of People Who Desired to Die:

Question #1:

Mark, are you saying that it’s okay to pray this way? Surely you wouldn’t encourage me to pray something so dark!

Line of People Who Desired to Die:

Rebecca= questioned her lot in life.

Rebecca= questioned her lot in life.

Elijah= Wanted to die out of total.

Elijah= Wanted to die out of total.

Job= Grief stricken father left in the town dump in total isolation.

Job= Grief stricken father left in the town dump in total isolation.

: Begged to die at the end of his ministry

Judging Jeremiah?

: Begged to die at the end of his ministry

Unfiltered, unedited, unreflective, knee-jerk, grief-stricken, heretical-laced, raw, open-wounded, open-hearted, unripened words from the pit of sorrow and pain- they are not merely welcome, they are Biblical! The desire not to live and to die isn’t not the ideal Christian experience, but those feelings aren’t strong enough to condemn us.

Jesus’ prayers:

Unfiltered, unedited, unreflective, knee-jerk, grief-stricken, heretical-laced, raw, open-wounded, open-hearted, unripenned words from the pits of sorrow and pain- they are not merely welcome, they are Biblical norms.

The Bible invites these prayers. Why? Because God knows our hearts! He knows that we need to express ourselves! He know that if we don’t express ourselves, that we will push our emotions to- what Christian Psychologist calls- the basement of our soul. When we push our grief and hurt down, we are creating pressure. Bottled up emotions is like stuffing a Jack-in-the Box back in the box. And time, time winds. The songs of life go and we pretend. We can go on for a while, but eventually, POP, Jacks going to want to come out and play.

And often times, when our emotions come out like Jack, it comes out when another grief happens. If we don’t allow our hearts to expose to the Lord with all it’s brokenness, pain, fear and heresy, we are just fooling ourselves. We are treating ourselves as gods- as if we are able to contain and control emotion.

God welcomes all of us, even our pits of sorrow. He loves you through it. He listens to them. He responds to them!

#2: The Desire to Die Comes through Feelings of Utter Isolation

#2: The Desire to Die Comes through Feelings of Utter Isolation

Question #2:

Loneliness:

"During my years caring for patients, the most common pathology I saw was not heart disease or diabetes," said former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. "It was loneliness."

Social Reasons: https://theweek.com/articles/815518/epidemic-loneliness

Older People are lonely:

Babyboomers: Less children and more divorce than previous generation

1 in 6 of Boomers live alone!

Increased transient work

Young People are Lonely:

In the Cigna study, Generation Z members ages 18 to 22 and Millennials ages 23 to 37 scored the highest for loneliness.

In the Cigna study, Generation Z members ages 18 to 22 and Millennials ages 23 to 37 scored the highest for loneliness.

Married later and kids later

In one study of Americans ages 19 to 32, the top 25 percent of social media users were twice as likely to report feeling lonely as the people using it least.

Utter loneliness is a dangerous place to be…

When you suffer, do you have people around you to pick you up?

ResLife- we will be there, and we need to make a commitment to be there!

Conclusion:

V. Jeremiah’s Confrontations (21:1–29:32)

Praise!

But this little phrase gives us incredible hope!

But this little phrase gives us incredible hope!

Lament is the context of praise:

Expressing unfiltered prayers from feelings of despair but from a heart of faith! Still faith there. Glimpse of hope!

And even after the second part of the prayer, where he no longer wants to live, do you know what Jeremiah does right after that?

V. Jeremiah’s Confrontations (21:1–29:32)

A. Jeremiah opposes Judah’s kings (21:1–23:8)

B. Jeremiah confronts false prophets (23:9–40)

C. Jeremiah opposes Judah’s people (24:1–25:38)

D. Jeremiah opposes false belief (26:1–29:32)

After Jesus wept in the Garden to pray his own prayer of lament, what does Jesus do?

Like, Jeremiah,

He’s beaten

Publicly shamed

Faces the opposition!

He faces the opposition!

He faces death, my sin, your sin, you loneliness, and brokenness…

He faces the journey that will solidify a sinless, grief-less, disease-less, tearless future.

He faces death, my sin, your sin, you loneliness, and brokenness…

Gave us a hope that Jeremiah couldn’t experience: Resurrection Life!

He faces the journey that will solidify a sinless, griefless, hopeful, diseaseless, tearless future.

Like Jeremiah:

Beaten

Publicly humiliated

Outside the gates of Jerusalem

But unlike Jeremiah, that experience killed him!