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Jeremiah was chosen by God before birth to be a prophet to the nation of Judah (Jeremiah 1:4–50). He spoke the words of the Lord during the reigns of Kings Josiah (2 Chronicles 36:1), Jehoiakim (2 Chronicles 36:5), and Zedekiah (2 Kings 24:18–19). Jeremiah grieved over the wickedness of his people and the impending judgment the nation鈥檚 sins had provoked. Jeremiah鈥檚 warnings went mostly unheeded, and he responded to Judah鈥檚 rebellion with tears of mourning (Jeremiah 13:17). Jeremiah has been dubbed 鈥渢he weeping prophet鈥� because of the often gloomy nature of his message and the grief he expressed for his people.

God鈥檚 plan for Jeremiah called for loneliness and suffering, but the Lord was never far from him (Jeremiah 1:7–8). Because of the impending judgment on Judah, God forbade Jeremiah to marry or have children (Jeremiah 16:2). While that prohibition may have increased the prophet鈥檚 loneliness for a time, it was also a blessing as he did not have to watch his family torn from him when the Babylonians invaded Judah and destroyed Jerusalem (Jeremiah 16:3–4).

Jeremiah the weeping prophet stood alone declaring God鈥檚 words while his beloved nation continued to reject the path of life. That ongoing rejection and personal isolation cost him greatly, as many in ministry understand. Those who heed God鈥檚 call on their lives may suffer many abuses from an ungodly world. A. W. Tozer wrote, 鈥淎lways remember: you cannot carry a cross in company. Though a man were surrounded by a vast crowd, his cross is his alone and his carrying of it marks him as a man apart鈥� (Man—The Dwelling Place of God).

Jeremiah鈥檚 cross to bear was obedience to his role as Judah鈥檚 prophet, and he bore it with courage as the weeping prophet. Many today who鈥檝e been called by God are coming to understand Jeremiah鈥檚 position. In our tumultuous world, our voices often seem lost in the wind. Some Christians respond to the cultural insanity with angry tirades and name-calling that do nothing to further the cause of Christ. But many weep, as Jeremiah did, for the fate of people who have been deceived by the evil one (see Psalm 119:136). In his sorrow, Jeremiah the weeping prophet revealed the heart of God. The Lord Jesus also wept over those upon whom judgment was coming: 鈥淎s he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, 鈥業f you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes鈥欌�� (Luke 19:41–42). It should comfort us to know that, when we weep for the fate of lost people, God Himself joins us (Jeremiah 9:1, 10). When Jeremiah wept over Judah鈥檚 rebellion, He was not alone. The Lord wept with Him.

There came a day when the Lord called a halt to the mourning over Judah, and Jeremiah the weeping prophet delivered a message of hope: 鈥淭his is what the Lord says: 鈥楻estrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,鈥� declares the Lord. 鈥楾hey will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your descendants鈥欌�� (Jeremiah 31:16–17).

The Lord never leaves His people hopeless. In judgment there is mercy. Even in our rebellion, God offers an open door (Revelation 3:8). There is a season for everything, including weeping (Ecclesiastes 3:1–8). Though we may weep now, a day will come for God鈥檚 people when He will 鈥渨ipe away every tear from their eyes鈥� (Revelation 7:17; cf. 21:4). Although Jeremiah was a weeping prophet during his faithful ministry on earth, he is now comforted for eternity. He has discovered, as we will, too, that 鈥渨eeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning鈥� (Psalm 30:5).