Jeremiah 14 ends where it begins—with a severe national crisis. Jeremiah prays that God would send rain (v 22) because Israel is experiencing a devastating drought (v 1). The continuous absence of rain has caused such great distress that the sound of weeping and wailing can be heard throughout the country. Every level of society is affected, from top down. The cisterns have run dry, and the ground is so hard that it is impossible to plow or plant. Even the wild animals are tormented by the lack of water (v 2-6). At times like this, we wonder why God doesn’t do something. Jeremiah puts our feelings into words. “Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O LORD, for Your name’s sake” (v 7a). With people starving all around him, the prophet pleads with God to put an end to all the suffering. We too are troubled by the misery and devastation experienced around the world today. Closer to home, our family and friends are also affected by sudden illness or tragic death. For that matter, each of us has our own disappointments, losses, burdens, and pains. We want answers! What is God up to? Why doesn’t He do something? To Jeremiah, God seems “like a stranger in the land, like a traveler” who only shows up every now and then. Or like an army recruit on his first mission, God seems confused and unable to overcome the opposition. Isn’t He supposed to be both omnipresent and omnipotent? An occasional tourist is not present everywhere. And a warrior who can be surprised and taken captive is surely not all-powerful. “Yet You, O LORD, are in the midst of us,” Jeremiah prays, “and we are called by Your name; do not leave us” (v 8-9). People often use the problem of evil and suffering as an argument against the existence of God. But God uses it as an argument against people. When called upon to give an explanation for human suffering, the LORD speaks of human sin and divine punishment. Drought was the promised consequence of covenant-breaking, and there was no going back for this generation. Sin always leads to suffering. Sometimes we are hurt by our own foolish choices, and often our pain is caused by the sins of others. But ultimately, all disaster and hardship can be traced back to the curse of God against sin. And if God ever seems absent, it’s only because we have wandered from Him (v 7, 10-12). Other preachers were saying everything would be okay. But God reassures Jeremiah that when it came to divine judgment, he had the message right. So he weeps for the people and prays for mercy, motivated by a concern for the credibility of God’s name and the honor of God’s throne (v 13-22). For further meditation: