Dealing with Frustrations

 By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text:  Jeremiah 12

 

Jeremiah 12:1

Righteous are you, O Lord,
    when I complain to you;
    yet I would plead my case before you.
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
    Why do all who are treacherous thrive?

(ESV)

 

There is no shortage of things in the world that can bring frustration.  When we do not deal with these frustrations, the result can be anger or depression as we begin to see our situation as hopeless.  Jesus reminded us that in this world there will be trouble but also reminds us that He has overcome the world (John 16:33).  Christians can deal with frustrations by taking them to the overcomer, Jesus Christ.  Jeremiah 12 provides a glimpse of Jeremiah presenting his complaints and frustrations to God with God providing comfort. 

 

The text of Jeremiah 12 begins with Jeremiah presenting his complaint to the Lord.  In the preceding 11 chapters of Jeremiah, he has often warned Israel and Judah to repent of their rebellion against God or suffer the consequences.  Jeremiah’s main complaint is his observation that the wicked seem to prosper with the treacherous thriving (Jeremiah 12:1).  The psalmist in Psalm 73 has a similar complaint but rectifies it by looking past the temporary prosperity the wicked may enjoy in this world to the fact that all who are unfaithful to the Lord shall perish (Psalm 73:27).  Jeremiah also lodges his complaint as he observes the destruction of the land due to the evil of God’s people (Jeremiah 12:4).

 

Jeremiah’s complaints do not fall on deaf ears with the Lord responding in Jeremiah 12:5-17.  In the first part of the response, the Lord challenges Jeremiah to wonder how he will compete with horses when racing with men on foot has caused him to become weary.  He also warns Jeremiah to be cautious of those speaking friendly words to him that have an agenda to deal treacherously with him. 

 

The Lord then states his frustration and why he has forsaken His house (Judah and Israel) and abandoned his heritage, turning them both over to the hands of their enemies (Jeremiah 12:7).  The Lord even says that he hates Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 12:8).  The blame for Israel’s rebellion lies with their shepherds or leaders who have led them to worship Baal instead of the Lord (Jeremiah 12:10).  However, the Lord's frustration and anger are accompanied by His grace as he promises to remove the invaders from the land and the people of Israel and Judah from exile (Jeremiah 12:14).  The Lord then promises to have compassion on His people with each person returning to their heritage and land.  However, this return only comes to pass as the people learn the ways of God’s people and swear by the name of the Lord with the same diligence they turned to and swore by the name of Baal (Jeremiah 12:16). 

 

We do not know how long Jeremiah has been calling upon God’s people to repent but this passage shows that he is experiencing frustration at how those rebelling against God seem to prosper.  Instead of the people repenting of their rebellion, they have lashed out and attacked Jeremiah (Jeremiah 11:18-19).  Instead of allowing frustration to turn to anger against those attacking him, Jeremiah takes his complaint to the Lord (Jeremiah 12:1-4).  In the Lord’s response, he lets Jeremiah know,

 

1)      He must rely on the Lord for strength and not trust the words of men (Jeremiah 12:5-6) – Jeremiah’s frustration is rooted in his racing with men in his strength and is reminded by the Lord to rely on the Lord’s strength.  The Lord also warns Jeremiah not to trust the friendly words from those dealing treacherously with him. 

2)      He lets Jeremiah know of His frustration with Judah (Jeremiah 12:7-13) – The Lord is equally frustrated with His people and even states his hatred with them (Jeremiah 12:8).  This frustration and hatred have led to the Lord calling for an army from the north to destroy the cities of Judah and take the people into exile (Jeremiah 4:5-18). 

3)      He will pluck the destroyers from their land and restore the inheritance of Judah (Jeremiah 12:14-17) – The Lord does not leave His people without hope and issues a warning to the destroying nations that they will be plucked from their land for touching the Lord's heritage, God’s people and their land (Jeremiah 12:14).  The Lord will also remove His people from exile and restore them to their land (Jeremiah 12:15).  The condition for this restoration is the people returning to the Lord with the same diligence they worshipped Baal (Jeremiah 12:16-17). 

 

The evil prevalent in our world can lead to frustration if we rely on our strength in standing against evil.  Proverbs 3:5-8 reminds us to acknowledge the Lord with the Lord bringing healing to our flesh and refreshment to our bones.  In these chaotic times, it is even more crucial for the people of God to spend time with God in prayer, the study of the Bible, and meditation on scripture, applying it to our lives.  We may also need to fast from negative influences in our lives like the news.  However, the most important thing to remember is to take our complaints to the Lord.  May God bless everyone reading this post.