Great Truths from Jeremiah

“O Lord, Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; Thou hast redeemed my life.” (Lamentations 3:58)

In his prayer, Jeremiah, author of Lamentations, is sure in saying “Thou has.” He didn’t pray, I hope, I am waiting or when you defend, but “Thou has.” Those who spent time in prayer in the time before the redemption were sure of the redemption, much like Paul’s revelation of God’s omniscience, that God knows all things the past, present and future. He was sure of the redemption that was to come. And Jeremiah prayed that it was a done thing. To God it was and to Jeremiah it was too.

Today, we take too much for granted. We know the past, concerning the work of God, because of faithful men who wrote it down. In ancient days it was just word of mouth. And we know how that goes. It’s not very accurate. If you’ve ever played the Telephone Game or also known as Chinese Whisper Game where a message is whispered to one person then to another and another in a long line of kiddos, then the message at the end is compared to the original message, you know that the original message was lost along the way. The message at the end was never like the message at the beginning. This is why I say that word of mouth is not very accurate. But we don’t rely on word of mouth today. God’s Word is written. His works are detailed. The acts of His people are written down. We have such knowledge and revelation and don’t realize the treasure we have in the Bible. Jeremiah’s prayer is a revelation of God’s omniscience and God’s working.

Jeremiah was sure and spoke to the Lord his assurance that the Lord had defended the causes of his soul.  The soul is the mind, will and emotions. When we examine ourselves, we find that our failings originated in the thoughts we accepted from the enemy. They were thoughts of defeat, fear, doubt or rebellion which fueled our emotions and influenced our will to do or say something that is sin. Paul wrote about how we can control our thoughts when thoughts that are unbiblical come to us. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9) Paul tells us that this is what he does, and this is what we should do. Jeremiah the prophet was a man of flesh and blood, just like we are. But he recognized the failings of his soul. We too must recognize that our sin doesn’t just originate in its action, but in our soul.

Jeremiah also recognized the high priest position of the Lord Who defended the causes of his soul.  He had revelation that the Lord would defend his failings. Jesus is our high priest who when the devil accuses us before the Father, Jesus defends us by His shed blood which has cleansed us of all sin. “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” (Revelation 12:10) The devil may accuse us, but Jesus is in heaven pleading our cause. “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us.” (Romans 8:33-34) Although the devil condemns us, Jesus intercedes for us.

Lastly, Jeremiah’s prayer reveals his certainty that the Lord had redeemed him. It didn’t happen until the death and resurrection of Jesus, but Jeremiah, had revelation that it was a done thing. It was in God’s eyes because God knows the end from the beginning. The end is a done thing. “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” (Isaiah 46:9-10).

This is a great lesson from Jeremiah. He prayed what hadn’t happened as if it had. Let’s examine this in healing. When we’re hurting and crippled, we are not to say, “I am not hurting, sick or crippled.” This is a lie. What we pray and say is, “Lord, you have healed me,” because in God’s realm, He has. We are agreeing with God’s Word, God’s will and God’s future end for us. In prayer always pray God’s future will because to God it’s a done thing although it hasn’t come to us yet. I know this is so difficult to understand because God’s realm doesn’t function like things work here on earth.

Jeremiah’s prayer reveals some great truths to us. It reveals Jesus as the high priest in heaven Who defends our cause. It reveals the redemption of the ancient saints. It helps us understand how the thoughts the devil brings to our mind can cause us to sin. And it teaches us how to pray.