September 3, 2023 – Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Delight in Difficulty

“Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart” (Jeremiah 15:16). The prophet Jeremiah did not praise God with such words because his life was super easy. No, Jeremiah rejoiced in the Lord even as his life had plenty of problems. Why such delight in difficulty? Surrounded by evil in this world, like Jeremiah, we cling to the God who is good, learning to trust His Word as the means by which we receive His deliverance from our enemies of sin and death. The living, active, delightful voice of our Savior guarantees His ongoing presence in our lives. Because of this, we rejoice! As we gather in the presence of Jesus this day, let us echo Jeremiah’s anthem of praise: “Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart!"