“God was speaking to Israel through Jeremiah, saying, ‘Unless you change the way you’re living, I have a disaster planned for you.”
I glanced at our teen-age son sitting beside me in the sanctuary. Our pastor was preaching from the book of Jeremiah, and I had the strong sense that God was speaking to our son. But was he even listening?
The next day, I sat alone in our living room, Bible on my lap. “Lord, were you speaking to Robb yesterday?” I closed my Bible. “I don’t think he was listening, and I’m not going to tell him unless you make it very clear that I should.”
Robb often didn’t respond well to my efforts to speak truth into his life. I no longer did that without a clearly opened door from God.
The outer door to our house opened, and Robb walked in. Why hadn’t I heard him?
“Hello there,” I greeted as he came into the living room and plopped down in a chair across from me.
He stared at me. “Well?”
“Well what?” I responded.
“Well, what are you thinking about?”
I groaned inwardly. I had promised God to speak if He clearly opened the door. I met Robb’s unwavering gaze. “Were you listening to the pastor’s message yesterday?”
He shrugged. “No.”
I bit my lip. “Pastor Rich said God told Jeremiah that unless Israel changed the way they were living, He had a disaster planned for them.”
Robb was silent.
“So, I don’t know what’s going on in your life, but I believe that’s what God is saying to you. If you don’t change the way you’re living, He has a disaster planned for you.”
Still Robb said nothing. He didn’t deny that God might be saying He had a disaster planned for him, but neither did He acknowledge it. When I remained silent, he finally got to his feet and left the room. I didn’t mention our conversation again and neither did he. I had done my part, the rest was up to the Holy Spirit.
A day or two later, our phone rang. It was our insurance company. Robb had had three car accidents in the past year, two of which had been his fault. Erie Insurance was informing us that if he was cited in the most recent one, we would be given a surcharged rate, much higher than our present one. Our only other option was to remove him as a driver from our policy.
When Donn came home from work, I told him about the phone call. We both agreed we would have no choice but to remove Robb as an insured driver. We simply couldn’t afford to pay the surcharge rate.
I knew that for our teen-age son, who loved the freedom that came with driving, losing the ability to drive our car would be a disaster. Was this the disaster God had promised if Robb didn’t change his ways?
Once again, I don’t remember that Robb argued or tried to change our minds when we told him of this development. Days turned into weeks, and even months went by. I sensed that God was using this time of uncertainty to do a work in Robb’s heart.
At last one day the phone call we’d been waiting for came. The insurance companies had decided that no one would be cited in this accident, since it appeared that each person had some share of the blame. If my memory serves me, the damage to our car was so slight that we either didn’t have it fixed or didn’t turn it in to insurance. There would be no surcharge on our policy.
We never did discover what was going on in our son’s life—we chose to allow that to remain between him and God. But how merciful for God to give Robb a warning so that the disaster planned for him could be averted.
When we receive a warning, we always have a choice—to change our ways or to continue on the path that leads to disaster. Here is the account of one of Israel’s interactions with God after the initial warning in chapter 4 of Jeremiah:
This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” But you said, “We will not walk in it.”
I appointed watchmen over you and said, “Listen to the sound of the trumpet!” But you said, “We will not listen.”
Therefore hear, O nations; observe, O witnesses, what will happen to them. Hear, O earth: I am bringing disaster on the people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words and have rejected my law. (Jeremiah 6:16-19)
Sadly, Israel ignored God’s warning, and the disaster that could have been avoided came. Only you can determine how your story will end.
Father, soften our hearts so that we will hear your warnings and repent before it is too late. Amen