God Speaks

 

Your hurt is incurable; your wound is grievous. (Jeremiah 30:12 NRSVUE)

Imagine going to a doctor and receiving this diagnosis. No one wants to hear this, especially if it’s coming from God. But this is exactly how God admonished the people of Israel and Judah through His prophet Jeremiah.

These were a recalcitrant and obstinate people who were living in captivity, a result of becoming blind to their own sinful behaviour and taking no responsibility or accountability for their actions.

But God had made them a promise of deliverance, of freedom and a return to their own land.

However, the words of Jeremiah 30:12 conveyed a sense of hopelessness, like driving for hours on a long stretch of road that ends in a cul-de-sac – nowhere left to go. We may feel that our situation is beyond repair and hopeless, but God does not forsake His children, He gives hope.

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. (Psalm 62:5 NIV)

Our hope comes from God. Resting in Him and placing our trust and confidence in Him fuels our hope.

Israel and Judah, inflated with pride, were filled with false confidence that is rooted in self and anything but God; they ceased to entertain hope in Him, instead they were lulled into a hope that was terribly misplaced.

They hoped that they would serve a two-year period of punishment, but that was not for them to determine, only God could prescribe the time not them and it was set for seventy years.

God’s words through Jeremiah were meant to sting, a wake-up call and a means of preparing them for patient waiting. He spoke to lead His people to a serious acknowledgement of His judgment of a scourge of seventy years that they were to endure – their hurt incurable and their wound grievous.

However, look at the adjective “grievous” used here to describe “your wound”. It speaks of the wound being difficult to heal but not impossible of healing, for with God nothing will be impossible (Luke 1:37).

Beloved, even after all that we may have done and do, God still recalls us to Himself. And just as He gave the people of Israel and of Judah the hope of restoration and return, He will do the same for you and me.

But before that, we too must be held responsible and accountable for our actions. God speaks the truth before He provides the hope. God speaks in order to expose our hearts so that we see our need for change.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “God Speaks” ©2026 April 24, 2026