One of the most important tasks before us as leaders is declaring the certainty of God’s future in the face of the multiple crisis facing our people, our nations and our churches. Jeremiah had a 50- to 60-year ministry during multiple times in his day—from the failed invasion of the Assyrians, to the total destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, to Israel’s exile in Egypt and Babylon.
Jeremiah could see through the sham of their external conformity to God’s ways without a deep internal change of heart. He also saw through the false priests and prophets who told the king what he wanted to hear and filled people with a false optimism about the future. He preached judgment for their sin and great hope—that God wins even when it appears he is losing. God has a plan and never stop doing good to his people, even when everything they are holding on to for security is being stripped from them.
One of our great tasks as leaders in these days is to remind people—God has a plan. He clearly runs the world all the time. And one day, every sorrow we taste will prove to be the best possible thing that could have happened to us. But if we are to do that, we will need to stand in the council of the Lord to see and hear his word—just like Jeremiah (Jer. 28:18, 21–22).