Minister’s Corner: Breaking the heart of God

By: DR. BRIAN DORE’
Member of the Ville Platte
Ministerial Alliance

In Jeremiah 10:19-24, we see the prophet lamenting because he saw the judgement which was coming to Judah would affect all classes, and in all ways, that is in mind, body and spirit. He said, “Woe is me for the hurt,” The wound, he said, was “grievous.” Jeremiah understood the law of sowing and reaping, and he begged God to correct the nation of Judah as was necessary, but he prayed this chastening would be with God’s merciful judgement and not in anger.
In the affliction of his people, Jeremiah lifted his voice to pray. He said, “But I said, truly this is a grief and I must bear it.” This was the language of a pious man who was submitted to the Lord. It was the prayer of a man for a nation who realized the wrong that had been done. We see a man of God in earnest prayer submitting before his God, a man standing in the gap praying for a nation that no longer looked to God. But can you not see the parallels in our society today? Our nation has sinned. We have turned away from God, and the leadership today govern without seeking the Lord. Many of the laws that have been passed down are diametrically opposed to the laws of God. Oh how we need a Jeremiah in our day. We need a man who will stand and tell it like it is, not a man who will paint a rosy picture that everything is fine while the nation hurdles headlong into judgement.
In this passage of scripture, we see God expressing grief that His chosen people had backslidden. Keep in mind the prophet was being led by the Spirit. Jeremiah could easily have been reflecting the heart of God. We seldom stop to think how our sins can break His heart. We need to understand God hates it when we violate His commands. He sees the separation it causes in our relationship to Him. The very principle of sin is unbelief in the divine Word and denial of the divine will. Whether we choose to believe it or not, sin breaks the heart of God. How can we say we love and appreciate our Lord for what He did upon the cross of Calvary and turn around and willfully sin knowing the pain we cause to Him? Think about it today. Are you guilty of breaking the heart of God?