Stuck in the Mud

Then the officials said to the king, "This man should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin." "He is in your hands," King Zedekiah answered. "The king can do nothing to oppose you." So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king's son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud. -Jeremiah 38:4-6 (NIV)

Jeremiah was lowered in to this cistern to die. The men putting him in it weren't playing around. They weren't playing a joke on him nor did they intend to leave him there for a couple of days so he would "learn his lesson." Their intent was to kill him- slowly. He had been speaking God's truth to them and they didn't like it. Instead of listening to his words and repenting or changing their ways, they refused to believe what he was saying. In order to stop the conflict, their resolution was to kill him.

The true calling of a Christian is not easy. It's not all celebration and fun. There is a lot of work, cuts, bruises, scars, hunger, disappointment and rejection. Bringing the truth into a world that does not want it is tough. It's even harder when the ones rejecting it are the ones you love the most. But it's vitally important that we push along and never give up, even when we find ourselves stuck in the mud.

Although we don't have cisterns around today, the evil spirit of the world is on people just the same. They may not be lowering us into real cisterns with mud for a slow death, but thanks to the evil one, being stuck in the mud of emotional scarring and rejection is still very prevalent. That kind of attack can hurt much more and last much longer than a slow death from dehydration or starvation.

On those occasions when you find yourself stuck in the mud, remember that you are joining a great lineage of people who changed the world as we know it. Keep speaking the word of God; keep telling the truth, and you will play a part in changing the world, too. Jeremiah was eventually pulled back out of the cistern and given food. Don't let a little mud get you down. Trust in the Lord, hold on to Him, and keep speaking the truth in love. It will make a difference. The word of the Lord never returns void.

Resources : http://www.tddm.org/