Twice in the first chapter of Jeremiah, God promises to “deliver” His prophet. In Jeremiah 1:8, right after calling him to the difficult task of preaching and prophesying to the Israelites, God says, “for I am with you to deliver you.” Later in Jeremiah 1:19, He says again, “They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you.”
Today, we may know even better than Jeremiah what it means to be “delivered.” In our world of online shopping, delivery trucks and vans sometimes line the streets. We have all had packages, pizzas, and maybe even groceries quickly and conveniently arrive at our homes. The condition of the boxes left on the porch might sometimes cause us to question what happened during their trip, but as long as our order is delivered and the contents are not damaged, we are satisfied.
God did not promise Jeremiah an easy, uneventful, or even safe trip through life; He promised opposition. God did not promise that Jeremiah would not face incredible challenges, experience heartbreaking tragedy, or weep through his trials; God promised to deliver him. God guaranteed that He would bring the young prophet from the beginning to the end; the same is true for us today.
God’s promised deliverance (2 Corinthians 1:10) is something we should trust and cling to but also understand. We will all face ups and downs in this life, but if we remain faithful to God, ultimately, “He will yet deliver us” (2 Corinthians 1:10).
Matt Langfield