Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading.
– Lamentations 2:14
Child of God, as painful and uncomfortable as it can be at times, we need people in our lives who are willing to “expose our iniquity”. We need people in our lives who are willing to graciously look into our hearts and expose the darkness that we’ve been blinded to. We need people in our lives who love us enough to risk hurting our feelings in order to save our souls from the hardening effects of sin. And in this passage, Jeremiah is pointing to the prophets and calling them to the carpet for being more concerned for popularity and position than holiness and truth. But the prophets weren’t the only ones to blame, the people also bore responsibility. They loved to have their egos stroked, their ears tickled, and their lifestyles commended. No one likes to hear that something they’re doing is harmful or dishonoring to God. No one likes to be told that they’re veering off the path into dangerous territory. I like my ignorance. I like my darkness. I like me just the way I am.
But one of the joys of salvation is having our eyes opened to something better. The Father has loved us enough to send His Son to expose our sin in order to give us fortune: Himself. Jesus is the true and better prophet. Jesus is not swayed by public opinion or uncomfortable conversations or the shortsightedness of hurt feelings. Jesus loves us enough to offer us something better than sin, and slavery, and death. Jesus loves us enough to make us uncomfortable for a moment in order to bring us joy everlasting. Jesus knows that flinging open the curtains in a dark room will hurt your eyes for a moment, but He also knows what beauty lies beyond the darkness.
I need people to be Jesus to me. I need people to be willing to look deep into my heart (as scary as that may be) and love me enough to expose the sin that is still present there. I need people to love me enough to point me to something greater. I need people to love me enough to have hard, awkward, and risky conversations with me. I need people to look at the bigger picture and see that so much is at stake; my soul, my reward, and ultimately the glory of God. I need people to live by faith that God has provided everything necessary for change as well as the courage to call people to it. I need deep relationships. I need intentional community. I need the church. For it is in the church, that Christ is most evident. For it is the church that God has equipped to bring me to maturity and the fullness of Christ.
As you go today, take a hard look at your relationships. Who do you have in your life that knows you, really knows you, and is willing to expose the darkness in your heart in a loving and gracious way? What is your connection to the body of Christ? Is it shallow? Do your conversations hover around the surface? Do you fight hard to keep your real self hidden? Would you rather live in blissful ignorance now suffering great loss later or suffer a little loss now in order to gain great reward later? Open yourself up today. Invite others in today. Fight to go deeper today. Too much is at stake. Too much is sacrificed. Too much is missed. Too much is wasted. The reward far outweighs the discomfort.
the fields 