God is good. His good\u00adness is a gift and does not have to be ear\u00adned. But the\u00adre are moments when God\u2019s good\u00adness remains hid\u00adden from us, times when God seems to turn against us. The pro\u00adphet Jere\u00admi\u00adah descri\u00adbes har\u00adro\u00adwing nega\u00adti\u00adve expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces he has with God. But he main\u00adta\u00adins that the\u00adre is still a \u00abrem\u00adnant\u00bb of God\u2019s good\u00adness and shows the way in which he \u00abtaps into\u00bb this remnant.\u2026<\/p>\n
It is a word from the book of Lamen\u00adta\u00adti\u00adons that should occu\u00adpy us this mor\u00adning: \u00abGood is the Lord to him who hopes in him, to the soul that seeks him\u00bb. So we read in Lamen\u00adta\u00adti\u00adons 3:25, \u00abGood is the Lord to him who hopes in him\u2026\u00bb This word could also mean some\u00adthing else. And in our hearts it some\u00adti\u00admes sounds dif\u00adfe\u00adrent, does\u00adn\u2019t it? For exam\u00adp\u00adle: \u00abThe Lord is good to the one who obeys him\u2026\u00bb. \u00abGood is the Lord to him who keeps his com\u00admandments\u2026\u00bb \u00abGood is the Lord to him who is well beha\u00adved, who does his will and does no wrong\u2026\u00bb That\u2019s how we think of God some\u00adti\u00admes, isn\u2019t it? He gives the good to him and only to him who walks in his ways and does what plea\u00adses him. And wit\u00adhout rea\u00adli\u00adsing it, we make God\u2019s good\u00adness depen\u00addent on our pious per\u00adfor\u00admance. Often we don\u2019t even rea\u00adli\u00adse it, but in this way we make God\u2019s good\u00adness a reward that we have to earn, work hard for.
\nGod is good to him who first ear\u00adns good by his works. He who does no good has no good to show for it. That is not just a ton\u00adgue twis\u00adter. It is some\u00adthing like a basic rule that we nor\u00admal\u00adly fol\u00adlow and that we very often app\u00adly to God and his actions. God is good to the one who is obe\u00addient. This idea is per\u00adhaps much deeper in our hearts than we rea\u00adli\u00adse. But God is dif\u00adfe\u00adrent. His Son, Jesus Christ, says of him: \u00abHe makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust\u00bb (Matthew 5:45). And Luke 6:36 says it like this, \u00ab\u2026 he is kind to the ungra\u00adteful and the wicked.\u00bb No, we can\u00adnot and do not have to earn the good\u00adness of God. It is a gift, an unde\u00adser\u00adved gift that God gives us.
\nOne condition
\nWell, the word from Lamen\u00adta\u00adti\u00adons 3 men\u00adti\u00adons some\u00adthing like a con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon that we have to ful\u00adfil in order to be able to expe\u00adri\u00adence the good\u00adness of God: \u00abThe Lord is good to the one who hopes in him, to the soul that seeks him. God does not throw his good\u00adness at us. But he gives it to us when we reach out to him and trust him.
\nAnd per\u00adhaps we should con\u00adsider this anew: it is not our pious achie\u00adve\u00adments with which we can impress God and win him over. Rather, it is our trust that tou\u00adch\u00ades his heart. Jesus, the Son of God, was not so much impres\u00adsed by the good works that pious peo\u00adp\u00adle pre\u00adsen\u00adted to him. It was rather the trust of the peo\u00adp\u00adle that moved him to action:
\n <\/p>\n
\t\u00abYour faith has hel\u00adped you\u00bb, he says to the blind man in Jeri\u00adcho who calls for him and asks him to heal him (Mark 10:52).
\n\t\u00abYour faith has hel\u00adped you\u00bb, he says to the sin\u00adner who ven\u00adtures into the Pharisee\u2019s house, wets the Lord Jesus\u00bb feet the\u00adre with her tears, dries them with her hair and then anoints them with pre\u00adcious anoin\u00adting oil (Luke 7:50).
\n\t\u00abYour faith has hel\u00adped you\u00bb, he says to the leper who comes back and thanks him for the gift of heal\u00ading (Luke 17:19).<\/p>\n
It is faith that the Lord Jesus seeks from us. It is the trust of the peo\u00adp\u00adle that tou\u00adch\u00ades his heart. And this is not some\u00adthing new in the New Tes\u00adta\u00adment. We alre\u00ada\u00addy find this in some places in the Old Testament:<\/p>\n
\t\u00abAbram belie\u00adved the Lord, and he coun\u00adted it to him for righ\u00adteous\u00adness. This is what we read at the very begin\u00adning of the Bible (Gene\u00adsis 15:6).
\n\tIn Psalm 32:10, David con\u00adfes\u00adses: \u00abWhoe\u00adver hopes in the Lord, good\u00adness will sur\u00adround him.\u00bb
\n\tAnd Psalm 33:18 says: \u00abBehold, the eye of the Lord is upon all who fear him, who hope in his goodness.\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00ab<\/span>Samples\u00bb from Lamentations \t\u00abHe has led me and let me go into dark\u00adness and not into light\u00bb (v.2). Our firm con\u00advic\u00adtion is that God leads out of dark\u00adness into light, isn\u2019t it? Jere\u00admi\u00adah expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces the com\u00adple\u00adte oppo\u00adsi\u00adte: \u00abHe has let me go into dark\u00adness and not into the light\u00bb.<\/p>\n \t\u00abHe has tur\u00adned his hand against me and rai\u00adses it against me day by day\u00bb (v.3). Jere\u00admi\u00adah sen\u00adses not\u00adhing of the bene\u00advo\u00adlent hand of God that is open to bless him. Oh no! He expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces God stret\u00adching out his hand against him \u2013 and not just once, but every day anew!<\/p>\n \t\u00abHe has made my fle\u00adsh and skin old and bro\u00adken my bones\u00bb (v.4). The\u00adre is not\u00adhing of streng\u00adthening and refresh\u00adment that we would expect from a loving God. Jere\u00admi\u00adah does not expe\u00adri\u00adence God as the loving Father who rai\u00adses him up and res\u00adto\u00adres him. Rather, he expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces him as the one who beats him to the ground.<\/p>\n \t\u00abHe has shut me in all around\u2026\u00bb (V.5).<\/p>\n \u00ab<\/span>He has wal\u00adled me up so that I can\u00adnot come out and has put me in hard chains\u00bb (v.7). We know and preach God as the one who breaks chains and frees the bound. Jere\u00admi\u00adah expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces the oppo\u00adsi\u00adte: he expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces God put\u00adting him in chains and impri\u00adso\u00adning him!<\/p>\n \t\u00abThough I cry out and shout, he plugs his ears at my pray\u00ader\u00bb (v.8). Can you ima\u00adgi\u00adne a loving father plug\u00adging his ears when his child\u00adren call out to him? Ter\u00adri\u00adble! Jere\u00admi\u00adah expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces God like this!<\/p>\n \t\u00abHe has wal\u00adled up my way with ash\u00adlars and made my path a stray way\u00bb (v.9). \t\u00abHe has fil\u00adled me with bit\u00adter\u00adness and wate\u00adred me with worm\u00adwood\u00bb (v.15). The\u00adre is no men\u00adti\u00adon of \u00abgreen pas\u00adtu\u00adres\u00bb and \u00abfresh water\u00bb of which David speaks in the 23rd Psalm. The\u00adse are a few \u00absamples\u00bb from the long list of accu\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adons and bit\u00adter reproa\u00adches that the pro\u00adphet hurls at his God in Lamen\u00adta\u00adti\u00adons 3. And it is not the prophet\u2019s delu\u00adsi\u00adons that form the basis of this lament. Jere\u00admi\u00adah expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced his God in this way. Really! \tIf I keep on hoping and waiting, Hope is the spark\u2026 God is good. His good\u00adness is a gift and does not have to be ear\u00adned. But the\u00adre are moments when God\u2019s good\u00adness remains hid\u00adden from us, times when God seems to turn against us. The pro\u00adphet Jere\u00admi\u00adah descri\u00adbes har\u00adro\u00adwing nega\u00adti\u00adve expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces he has with God. But he main\u00adta\u00adins that the\u00adre is still a \u00abrem\u00adnant\u00bb of\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[58],"wpfc_sermon_series":[63],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-erich-hunziker","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-wie-du-und-ich","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-3002","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nGre\u00adat, when you expe\u00adri\u00adence it like that, you might say now. It\u2019s easy to talk like that when you expe\u00adri\u00adence God\u2019s good\u00adness con\u00adcre\u00adte\u00adly and can look back on good, posi\u00adti\u00adve expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces with him. It is not so ter\u00adri\u00adbly dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to sing about the good\u00adness of God when you expe\u00adri\u00adence it tan\u00adgi\u00adbly. But this was not the case with Jere\u00admi\u00adah, the aut\u00adhor of Lamen\u00adta\u00adti\u00adons 3. He did not expe\u00adri\u00adence the good\u00adness of God at all. On the con\u00adtra\u00adry, he got to know his God from a side that frigh\u00adtens us. The chap\u00adter in which our word is found is one of the most bit\u00adter lamen\u00adta\u00adti\u00adons we find in the who\u00adle Bible. The pro\u00adphet descri\u00adbes expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces with God that have not\u00adhing to do with kind\u00adness. He reproa\u00adches him with things that are hair-raising:<\/p>\n
\n\t\u00abHe makes me miss the way\u00bb (v.11a). We expect God to open doors for us and help us find the right way. Jere\u00admi\u00adah com\u00adplains that God obs\u00adtructs his paths and makes him go astray.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u00abHe made me bite on peb\u00adbles, he pres\u00adsed me down into the ashes\u00bb (v16).<\/p>\n
\nJere\u00admi\u00adah pulls out all the stops
\nIn this con\u00adtext, I remind you of Jere\u00admi\u00adah 14 and 15. It is almost unbe\u00adara\u00adble what is writ\u00adten the\u00adre. I think they are the worst chap\u00adters in the who\u00adle Bible. Jere\u00admi\u00adah pas\u00adsio\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly inter\u00adce\u00addes for his peo\u00adp\u00adle. He wrest\u00adles with God in pray\u00ader and pleads for his atten\u00adti\u00adon and help:
\n\u00abOh Lord, if our sins accu\u00adse us, help us for your name\u2019s sake! For our dis\u00ado\u00adbe\u00addience is gre\u00adat, whe\u00adre\u00adwi\u00adth we have sin\u00adned against thee. Thou art the con\u00adso\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon of Isra\u00adel, and his hel\u00adper in trou\u00adble. Why stan\u00addest thou as a stran\u00adger in the land, and as a way\u00adfa\u00adring man that tar\u00adrieth but for the night? Why do you act like a despon\u00addent man and like a hero who can\u00adnot help? You are among us, O Lord, and we are cal\u00adled by your name; do not for\u00adsa\u00adke us!\u00bb (Jere\u00admi\u00adah 14:7\u20139). Do you know how God responds to the prophet\u2019s plea? He says to him, \u00abYou shall not ask mer\u00adcy for this peo\u00adp\u00adle. For though they fast, I will not hear their sup\u00adpli\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon; and though they bring burnt offe\u00adrings and grain offe\u00adrings, they plea\u00adse me not, but I will con\u00adsu\u00adme them by the sword, by fami\u00adne, and by pesti\u00adlence\u00bb (Jere\u00admi\u00adah 14:11\u201312).
\nBut the pro\u00adphet per\u00adsists. He does not let hims\u00adelf be put off: \u00abLord, we reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse our wicked lives and the ini\u00adqui\u00adty of our fathers, for we have sin\u00adned against you. But for your name\u2019s sake do not reject us! Let not the thro\u00adne of your glo\u00adry be mocked; yet remem\u00adber your coven\u00adant with us and let it not cea\u00adse\u2026\u00bb (Jere\u00admi\u00adah 14:20\u201322). I guess you could say Jere\u00admi\u00adah pulls out all the stops. He grabs God by his glo\u00adry. He grabs him by his holy name. He reminds him of the coven\u00adant he made with the peo\u00adp\u00adle. But it is all in vain.
\nGod remains \u00abstub\u00adborn\u00bb. He does not let hims\u00adelf be asked. Jere\u00admi\u00adah bites on gra\u00adni\u00adte. He finds no heart and no hea\u00adring with God and yet he would have every reason to hang up his job and say: \u00abOK<\/span>, God, it was\u00adn\u2019t my idea to do what I\u2019m doing. You tal\u00adked me into beco\u00adming a pro\u00adphet. If You\u2019\u00adre going to lea\u00adve me han\u00adging in this minis\u00adtry, then bye! I will no lon\u00adger do this to mys\u00adelf, to run into a wall with You with my strug\u00adgles for this peo\u00adp\u00adle. They are your peo\u00adp\u00adle, not mine! If you want to des\u00adtroy them, then plea\u00adse do so! Your name and your honour are at sta\u00adke. Do what you want! I\u2019m get\u00adting out! I don\u2019t want to have any\u00adthing more to do with you and this who\u00adle sto\u00adry about your peo\u00adp\u00adle. For\u00adget it! I resign my commission!\u00bb
\nWould\u00adn\u2019t we react in the same way or simi\u00adlar\u00adly if we had the\u00adse expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces with God like Jere\u00admi\u00adah had? I no lon\u00adger do this to mys\u00adelf. I don\u2019t want to have any\u00adthing more to do with this God who only gives me the cold should\u00ader in all my sear\u00adching and ques\u00adtio\u00adning and pray\u00ading and strugg\u00adling! But Jere\u00admi\u00adah takes a dif\u00adfe\u00adrent path. Even if he bites into his God\u2019s gra\u00adni\u00adte, even if he only encoun\u00adters resis\u00adtance, rejec\u00adtion and cold\u00adness: Jere\u00admi\u00adah sear\u00adches for traces of God\u2019s good\u00adness. With all the nega\u00adti\u00adve expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces he has: he looks for the \u00abgap\u00bb in the com\u00adpact wall of resis\u00adtance and rejec\u00adtion that God throws at him. He looks for the \u00abgap\u00bb through which he might be able to reach the heart of God after all. And he finds it: \u00abIt is the good\u00adness of the Lord that we are not finis\u00adhed,\u00bb he reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00ads\u00ades in all the incom\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsi\u00adble and distressful things he expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces with his God. \u00abIt is the good\u00adness of the Lord that we are not finished\u2026\u00bb.
\nThe fact that we still exist at all is an indi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon that the\u00adre is still some\u00adthing like a rem\u00adnant of God\u2019s good\u00adness. The fact that we still exist is a sign that God is not quite finis\u00adhed with us after all, that the\u00adre is still a litt\u00adle spark of hope, that per\u00adhaps His path with us still con\u00adti\u00adnues\u2026 The\u00adre is still a resi\u00addue of God\u2019s mer\u00adcy and good\u00adness. I just have to find the way to tap into that resi\u00addue. And then the pro\u00adphet finds that way. He finds the litt\u00adle door through which he rea\u00adches this \u00abresi\u00addu\u00adal good\u00adness\u00bb of God. It is cal\u00adled hope. It is sim\u00adply a mat\u00adter of hoping, wai\u00adting, wai\u00adting and trus\u00adting: \u00abGood is the Lord to him who hopes in him, to the soul that seeks him.\u00bb Or as Luther trans\u00adla\u00adtes this pas\u00adsa\u00adge in Lamen\u00adta\u00adti\u00adons 3:25: \u00abFor the Lord is good to him that wai\u00adteth for him, and to the man that seeketh him.\u00bb
\nI don\u2019t know if Jere\u00admi\u00adah knew the pas\u00adsa\u00adges in the Bible\u2019s pray\u00ader book that talk about hoping and wai\u00adting for God. But appar\u00adent\u00adly he had an inkling: hoping in God is the way we find his good\u00adness. Hoping in God is the way we can move his loving Father heart. Hope is the spark that rekind\u00adles the fire of God\u2019s love for us. In the abun\u00addance of bit\u00adte\u00adrest expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces he has with his God, he finds the litt\u00adle door through which he can reach the kind Father heart of God: Hope! \u00abGood is the Lord to him who hopes in him, to the soul that seeks him.\u00bb Jere\u00admi\u00adah recognises:<\/p>\n
\n\tif I keep on sear\u00adching and wai\u00adting for God\u2019s help,
\n\tif I keep trus\u00adting in his care and love,
\n\tthen God can\u00adnot pos\u00adsi\u00adbly hear past my prayers,
\n\tthen he will give up his resis\u00adtance and open his clo\u00adsed hand again.<\/p>\n
\n\u2026that sets the heart of God, which is nevert\u00adhel\u00adess full of love for us humans, in moti\u00adon. Hope is the power that breaks open the clo\u00adsed heart of God so that his good\u00adness and love can flow again. Dear wor\u00adship\u00adpers, per\u00adhaps you also suf\u00adfer from the fact that God keeps hims\u00adelf hid\u00adden, that he does not ful\u00adfil the pro\u00admi\u00adses of his word, that he does not seem to care about your con\u00adcerns, that he does not ans\u00adwer your pray\u00aders and pleas and sim\u00adply lets you stew in all that is distres\u00adsing to you and that you can\u00adnot under\u00adstand. I do not know why he does this. But I do know whe\u00adre the litt\u00adle door is through which we can reach his heart. The tes\u00adtim\u00ado\u00adny of the pro\u00adphet Jere\u00admi\u00adah shows us the way. It encou\u00adra\u00adges us to keep pray\u00ading and belie\u00adving, not to give up hope, to wait for God, to wait for him, to seek him and not let go until he lets hims\u00adelf be found.
\nLet us do it, for: \u00abGood is the Lord to him who hopes in him, to the soul that seeks him.\u00bb<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"