“They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. ~ Jeremiah 1:19
With everyone sheltering at home and taking the proper precautions, it can be very easy to get depressed and to feel hopeless. When people spend so much of their time just waiting, you can lose your sense of purpose, and without a purpose, life begins to lose its meaning. In the depression, you can start to feel alone, isolated, you lose your motivation, and everyday tasks begin to become difficult because, well, what’s the point? During this time of isolation and waiting, it can be very easy to lose yourself. Often, we lose ourselves in the busyness of life, which makes it ironic that we can lose ourselves by having too much down time as well. But, how do we remain anchored as to not allow ourselves to become depressed, lethargic, and isolated.
When I think of feeling depressed and hopeless, I think of the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah had a daunting task of bringing God’s message to the nation of Judah, and it was not a pleasant message. God was calling the nation to repent and turn back to him, but knowing that they would not, declared the coming destruction of Judah at the hands of the Babylonians. On top of that, Jeremiah was told from the very beginning when he was called by God, that the people would reject the message and not listen to him. Now, put yourself into Jeremiah’s shoes: how would you like to be called into a job, only to be told that doing that job would make you a laughingstock and a social pariah to everyone you know?
Jeremiah had a rough time of it, and fellow priests and so-called “prophets” even tried to have Jeremiah killed for his troubles. Jeremiah struggled with his calling and struggled in his faith. At one point, Jeremiah even cries out to God, complaining that he wishes he had never been born (Jeremiah 20:14-18). I would call that a low point for Jeremiah, and I can only imagine the depression and the isolation Jeremiah was feeling in that time.
But, given everything that Jeremiah was experiencing, what kept him going, even amid the isolation, the pain and loss, the frustration, and even in depression? Jeremiah still had a calling, and his life still had purpose. When God called Jeremiah to be His prophet, warning him of the difficult task ahead of him and the hardships that he would endure, God made sure to remind him of His presence in it all:
“Today, I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord (Jeremiah 1:18-19).
Even in Jeremiah’s lowest point, as he wrestled with a desire to just quit, he still is steadfast in his calling:
But if I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot (Jeremiah 20:9).
Jeremiah was steadfast in his faithfulness to God. It doesn’t mean that he didn’t struggle, or question, or even feel sad, lonely, or depressed. Sometimes when we think of “heroes” from scripture, we paint them in our minds as being almost superhuman. But, contrary to what we might picture in our minds, scripture paints a very human picture of the prophet Jeremiah. He struggled in his faith, he wrestled with being depressed and alone, and he even probably questioned his identity as a prophet. But Jeremiah was resolute to the end, enduring hardships and trials for many years, and even living long enough to see the destruction he warned about fall upon Judah.
Looking at Jeremiah’s story, there are two very important truths that we need to hold on to during this time. First, these are hard times that we are living in, and admitting that you are struggling can be scary and difficult. But, looking at Jeremiah, a prophet of God, it is plain to see that we can be human and faithful. Sometimes, Christians can get this idea in our heads that things should be all good, joyful, and unwavering because we have put our faith in God. When we have that mindset, we feel like we must hide it when we struggle (as if God is tricked by our efforts to cover it up). Being a follower of Christ does not mean that we never experience struggles and hardships, but it does mean that God journeys with us. Afterall, being able to carry on and endure through hardships speaks even more about our faith then living a life that avoids hardship altogether.
Second, and perhaps the most important point for the current situation, we must hold on to our calling. Being at home, possibly out of work, waiting, bored, struggling to find a way to fill the hours of the day, it can be easy to lose our sense of purpose. But, a life without purpose is not a life being lived. In a culture where so many people draw their sense of identity from their job, where does that leave them when you can no longer go to work? God has a much bigger calling for us all. To quote the Westminster Shorter Catechism, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”
Let me encourage you to not allow the current situation to rob you of your sense of purpose in life. Just because we are sheltering at home doesn’t mean that we are any less called to give thanks to God for our blessings, turn to Him in our struggles, and to love and care for others. As a healthcare chaplain, much of my job involves visiting patients to provide ministry and spiritual support during difficult and stressful times. With the current Covid-19 precautions in place, it is difficult to provide the same care for patients, especially when many of them I am unable to visit in person. But my calling has not changed; I just need to find new and different ways of providing the ministry and care that I already do. As much as things have changed, we are still called to glorify God through our lives. Even more so now, it is ever so important for Christians to be a beacon of light, hope, truth, honesty, and faithfulness, even as we weather this current storm of life. Do not let this pandemic and the hardships you are enduring blind you to the calling God has placed on your life or rob you of the purpose God has given you.
And, as a final note, if by some chance you are reading this and you do not know what it is to hear God calling you to follow Him, to know His presence through adversity, to have a purpose in life greater than to live for selfish ambition and the empty pleasures of this world, please know that God has a much bigger purpose and calling for you if you are willing to listen to His voice. If you do not know the peace that comes from knowing God’s presence amid the hardships of life, may I encourage you to please touch base with a church, a ministry, or someone you know to find out more, or I would be happy to put the resources of this ministry available for you as well.
My prayer is for God’s people to diligently be seeking God’s will for this time, and for God to be glorified in the lives of His people. And I pray that all those who may not know God in this time, to seek His face, and for God to reveal Himself to them in amazing and unexpected ways. May God richly bless you and walk with you as we endure together.