Jeremiah 14 Devotional

Pleading His Name Alone

“Although our iniquities testify against us, O LORD, act for the sake of Your name. Indeed, our rebellions are many; we have sinned against You.”Jeremiah 14:7 (BSB)

Drought grips Judah. Jars come back empty from the cisterns, and even the doe abandons her newborn fawn for lack of grass (14:3-5). Out of that thirst rises a prayer that does not claim innocence. It admits that the people's sins testify against them and asks God to act for the sake of his name (14:7). It calls him the Hope of Israel (14:8).

The LORD's answer is hard. He tells Jeremiah not to pray for the people's welfare and says he will not accept their fasts or offerings (14:11-12). Even so, the chapter ends with a second prayer that clings to him anyway: no idol can bring rain, so they will hope in the LORD (14:22). The right plea before God has never been our record. It is his name and his character. John tells believers their sins are forgiven through Christ's name (1 John 2:12). When you have nothing good to offer God, you can still appeal to who he is.

To think about: When you pray about your failures, do you lean on your record or on God's name, and what would change if you trusted his name alone?