In the midst of preparing to begin writing a new book I have been focusing on Song of Solomon, Hebrews and Revelation, and so I was surprised when something new was added to that. This past week the Lord has taken me back to the Book of Jeremiah with a fresh view of some of the messages He gave the prophet. In particular I was once again drawn to Chapter 12, which I have read and studied many times. This time, however, He showed it to me in light of His bride. There is a great deal packed into this chapter but for now I just want to focus on the first few verses and their impact for us today. Once again the shadows of the past are lifted to reveal the substance of Christ.

In 2012 we are all faced with mounting pressures from the world around us. It may be different for each of us but the source of the problems is the same. If you are like me there is a tendency to fall back into a mindset that says: why do good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people? My questions are reminiscent of David’s as I feel like I’ve been forgotten in the grand scheme of things.

Ps 13:1 How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? Forever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

But my questions always get the same answer from the Lord: There are no good people. There are only redeemed people and lost people.

Just the same I found myself identifying with Jeremiah when he lifted up his complaints to the Lord. Here is what He pointed out to me that are relevant for His bride.

Jer 12:1-4 Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously? 2 Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins. 3 But thou, O Lord, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter. 4 How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end.

The first thing we need to note is Jeremiah’s approach to God. He acknowledged that God is “righteous” (tsaddiyq; just, lawful) and therefore He didn’t question God’s actions or His judgments, he just wanted to know why the wicked were prospering. I know your judgments are right, but can I ask you a question about what you have decided to do? After all … You planted them. And on top of that (and here perhaps is more to the point): they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins (their heart). These were the people — hypocrites and false professors — who ignored God and were certain that God would not see their end. They wanted to kill Jeremiah and he wanted to know why God allowed them to be happy. Why when he was suffering were those evil people prospering and bringing forth fruit.

The word for fruit is periy and it means reward. In their wickedness and treachery they were being rewarded while at the same time they were speaking of God with their mouth while their hearts were far from Him. Jeremiah reminded God that he knew God had seen him, considered him, discerned him and joyfully looked upon him and understood him. And in light of that he wondered why God just didn’t “make things right” – “set things straight” – “place the suffering where it belongs.”

Haven’t we all had that question on our lips more than once over the past few years? The events around us have certainly provided a solid enough framework for it. Haven’t we at least thought: God, can’t you turn the tables? You know where I am and what I am going through. It doesn’t seem fair. How long am I going to have to suffer? How long is your bride going to have to suffer under the injustice of this world?

I don’t think Jeremiah was expecting the answer he got and, on the whole, the bride of Christ today isn’t expecting it either.

Jer 12:5 If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?

In His answer the Lord revealed not only that He recognized what Jeremiah had done. He acknowledged that He had seen Jeremiah deal with the trials of the day and that He knew Jeremiah had “trusted” Him in the relative peace of the time. Because Jeremiah had been faithful and not given up or pulled back God was going to trust him with even more. He revealed Jeremiah’s future course.

To Jeremiah the message was clear that God was putting him through a tough trial because — much to the prophet’s displeasure — it was going to get rougher. God was toughening Jeremiah up because the battles he was presently encountering were just a prelude of what was to come.  He asked Jeremiah: if you can’t keep up with the trials in front of you — if you get tired running with the footmen in this time of relative peace — what are you going to do when the real tough trials come and you have to run with the horses. There is a subtle point here that we shouldn’t miss: God was not going to send the “horses” until Jeremiah had already run with the “footmen.” God will carefully train us in order to prepare us for what is coming down the path. The question is, are we willing to go to school and learn?

Jesus is asking His bride the same question today. Whether she wants to admit it or not, these are difficult days but there are more difficult challenges ahead. If she is getting weary and tired and wanting to quit now, what is she going to do when things get really tough? From Jesus’ perspective He is asking us if we think our present problems are really that tough. He will never give us more than we can handle … footmen always come before horses.

1Cor 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptaition also make a wasy to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Listen to what He told His disciples about this very issue:

John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

God doesn’t promise to keep us from problems and this is where we as believers get in trouble: “I gave you my life, so why am I experiencing bankruptcy, cancer or divorce?” What we forget is that while He never promised to make our life an easy road He did promise to be there with us. Everyone deals with problems but the difference for us is that we don’t deal with them alone.

The trials the bride is facing in 2012 are just the prelude to what is coming down the path. I am not attempting to be a doomsayer but the reality is that it is going to become increasingly more difficult for the bride of Christ — the “true” church — as we move ever closer to His coming. But the good news is that our bridegroom has provided for everything we need to make it through anything the enemy and this world can throw our way. Our part is to remember the words of Paul and press deeper into our relationship with Jesus — move into and abide in the Holiest Place and allow the Holy Spirit to change us and move us into all that God created us to be.

When we made Jesus the Lord of our life we became “partakers in Him.” Our salvation was a free gift. But that was just the beginning as God has ordained us to be conformed into the image of Jesus. But that is only going to happen if we become “partakers of Him” — partakers of the Life of Christ. And that happens if and only if we will move out of the Holy Place — the place of salvation — and into the Holiest Place. And we have been told to do just that by entering boldly into the throne room and sit at His feet, where His blood has purchased all the grace we need to be conformed to His image. We need that grace because while we have “entered into His rest” there are still challenges to face and battles to fight.

Rom 8:28-30 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

The good news, however, is that He did not leave us alone to fight these battles. We are to rest in His wisdom, strength, grace and mercy by the power of His Spirit.  And we need the gift of the Holy Spirit if we are to see things from God’s perspective and be able to submit to His work in us because serving Him requires discipline.

Eph 4:14-15 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

The last part of verse 15 sums up what this time in the life of His bride is all about. This is her betrothal period; this is her sanctification wherein she is challenged to grow up into Him in all things. This is her hour to become all that she was created to be; the time for each of us to follow the individual path that God created for us in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit. And we need to remember that in the midst walking down that path that “our love” is and always will be tested.

Testing Purifies the Bride’s Love

1Peter 4:12-13 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

We are not to be surprised when we are tested and tried, for our bridegroom was tested and tried far beyond anything we will endure. His testing proved His love for us and in our walk toward purity we are to do likewise for Him. He is asking that of us because He knows that we have been given all that we need to accomplish it — the Spirit of Love.

Testing Proves the Bride’s Love

Rom 5:3-5 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

I love that the word Paul used here for glory (kauchamomai) means to boast or rejoice. If we are fully committed and fully submitted to “partaking of Christ” then we understand that our trials are just a part of the process. A process, by the way, that if we submit to it will provide great rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

As the bride we are proving our love for our bridegroom by spending our “betrothal” fully committed to drawing ever closer to Him. In the process the Holy Spirit is working with us on our “outward righteousness.” This is our wedding dress and it is the reflection of what we do with the gifts and graces that God gave us to walk down our individual path with Him. When we were born again, when we accepted His gift of the Cross, we became His bride to be and now our life is all about Him — it is no longer all about us.

Testing Reveals the Bridegroom

When the world sees us navigating through trials and making it through by the mercy and grace of God it sees Jesus living in us. Unbelievers go through the same problems but for them it’s a lonely road of self-indulgence and self-sufficiency. As the bride of Christ we know that problems are the Lord’s tools to draw us closer to Him and prepare us for our role in eternity. When they come up we have two options: run and hide or run to Him. For the bride there is only one option if she is fixed on preparing her wedding dress. She cannot afford to run around trying to get things done in her own power like Martha. She needs to come into the throne room and sit at the bridegroom’s feet like Mary. That is where all the answers to life’s trials are to be found.

So when our faith becomes “perplexed” and we begin to reflect on the things around us — the apparent injustices of this world — and we begin to question God’s judgments, we need to reflect on the answer that God gave Jeremiah. We need to remember that at the present we are just running with the footmen and God wants to prepare us to run with the horses. He doesn’t want us to lose the race and that is why He has given us a huge advantage over the horses of this world — His Holy Spirit.

If you are at all like me you probably need to take a deep breath, remember where you are and whose you are. At the end of the day it’s all about His love for His bride and her love for her bridegroom. That means if our love is to be “purified” it will have to be “tested,” and sometimes that purification and testing will come by fire. For that reason, among many more, we need to abide in the Holiest Place with Jesus and rest in His provision for our future. Yes it will take work on our part because while salvation is free, sanctification comes with a price; dying to the selfish desires of our flesh. But we aren’t alone in our trials, we have the most powerful force in the universe just waiting for us to ask for help and that is all we need to win the race.

Here’s the good news God gave to Jeremiah and it is the same good news He is giving us today. Because he could make it through his present difficulties he could rest assured that he would make it through even greater challenges because God was with Him. Think about what God has already seen you through, when He proved Himself faithful right where you were.

Rom 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Phil 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

When we find ourselves worn out and overwhelmed and our faith seems to be perplexed and confused, we need to be like Jeremiah and go to the Lord and pour out our heart. I am confident that if we will do that He will be faithful to remind us how He has seen us through past trials and how He will do so again.

In the midst of our trials we need to remember that we are God’s living epistles to the world and it is dependent upon us to allow the Holy Spirit to conform us into the image of His Son. The world is reading us every day and our getting through our trials reflects His glory, and therein is the blessing and our future reward.  Truly, we can count it all joy, but whether we do or not is up to us.