Devastated One

Jeremiah 4:30
What are you doing, O devastated one? Why dress yourself in scarlet and put on jewels of gold? Why shade your eyes with paint? You adorn yourself in vain. Your lovers despise you; they seek your life.


To understand this verse a little better, let me first explain that God is speaking here to the Israelites about their adultery against Him, in seeking after other gods and idols. By looking to gods other than the one, true God they are bringing ruin upon themselves, and so we can see the parallel between the Israelites and ourselves.

Isn’t this just like us, too, to be completely devastated - torn apart by our actions or the actions of others, and then rather than simply turning to God, repenting, we try to go on. We put on an outward appearance that would tell those around us that we have it all together, while inwardly, we are falling apart. Despite the pain and affliction, however, many times we continue to pursue our "lovers," these false gods that we think taste so good, that have us fooled into thinking they "love" us, while truly they despise us, and are working to kill us from the inside out.

So, the question bears asking - what is the false god in your life? Who is the "lover" that seeks your life? Most everyone has one, big or small, that something that we can’t seem to turn from. Our little secret, our little pet, and it will destroy each and every one of us. We cover them up, and hope that our neighbor, or best friend, or spouse doesn’t see them. When, in reality, the best thing we could do would be to stop covering them up, and simply expose them to the light of Christ. Let the people around us see our flaws - chances are, when we step out in courage, it will give others the courage to step out as well, and then we’ll discover that we weren’t alone in our devastation after-all.

Join me, won’t you, and uncover those ugly, nasty lovers that seek to destroy us. Let’s step out in courage, knowing that God can take them away and give us the true, authentic love we all seek. Find a friend or mentor that you can share with - be completely open and honest, and discover the healing that comes when we have someone else to share the burden of our pain and torment. Let’s let the world see the real us, knowing that it will bring great glory to our God, when people see what He has turned us from, and they realize the healing that only He can provide.