Week of February 17 – February 23
Go to Guy – Man as Battle Buddy
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, “Inquire of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.” - Jeremiah 21:1-3
“He’s the go-to guy.” Most people are familiar with the concept of a go-to guy in sports. There’s the clutch receiver the quarterback looks for in the endzone with the game on the line, the point guard capable of nailing a buzzer-beating three-pointer, and the closing pitcher who can be trusted to get the last out and secure the victory. However, the term can apply to many other situations as well. It can refer to a trusted repairman, financial advisor, hunting or fishing guide, you name it. Essentially, a go-to guy is someone you can rely on to deliver results.
The prophet Jeremiah was a go-to guy. He’s the man Zedekiah, the king of Judah, counted on to give him a word from the Lord. Facing a desperate situation with King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army threatening Jerusalem, the king sent a delegation of priests (including Pashhur, who had publicly humiliated Jeremiah and had him beaten and thrown in the stocks back in chapter 20) “hat in hand” to Jeremiah, asking him to pray and intercede for them.
When King Zedekiah and the priests turned to Jeremiah, it was a grudging acknowledgment that he was God’s spokesman. They usually ignored Jeremiah, but now, in a time of crisis, they asked him to plead with God to deliver them like he had miraculously delivered Judah from Sennacherib and the Assyrian army during King Hezekiah’s reign. The key difference was that King Hezekiah had humbled himself and personally cried out to the Lord for deliverance. God, in his mercy, heard that prayer and responded to Hezekiah’s humility. Zedekiah did not show any of the humility that Hezekiah had, yet he expected God to come through and deliver them anyway. Jeremiah’s message back to Zedekiah was clear: “Not going to happen!”
But don’t miss this: When a crisis arose, the leadership turned to Jeremiah because they recognized him as the go-to guy who heard from God and fearlessly spoke God’s truth.
Do other men see you as the go-to guy when it comes to seeking the Lord? Have you ever had a worldly person make fun of you for your faith, only for them to seek you out in their time of trouble and ask you to pray for them? Has anyone ever seen you as the go-to guy who is connected to God?
That is the challenge of this story to me personally, and I hope it is for you. Are you the guy that other guys count on to connect them with God? That’s what a Battle Buddy does and is. I want to be that go-to guy. How about you?
- Are you living a life that is close, clean, and connected to the Lord, so much so that men around you know you as the “go-to guy?”
- If not, what steps do you need to take to become that go-to guy for others?
- Ask God for favor with others like Jeremiah had so that they can count on you to connect them with the Lord.
Go to Guy – Man as Battle Buddy
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, “Inquire of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.” - Jeremiah 21:1-3
“He’s the go-to guy.” Most people are familiar with the concept of a go-to guy in sports. There’s the clutch receiver the quarterback looks for in the endzone with the game on the line, the point guard capable of nailing a buzzer-beating three-pointer, and the closing pitcher who can be trusted to get the last out and secure the victory. However, the term can apply to many other situations as well. It can refer to a trusted repairman, financial advisor, hunting or fishing guide, you name it. Essentially, a go-to guy is someone you can rely on to deliver results.
The prophet Jeremiah was a go-to guy. He’s the man Zedekiah, the king of Judah, counted on to give him a word from the Lord. Facing a desperate situation with King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army threatening Jerusalem, the king sent a delegation of priests (including Pashhur, who had publicly humiliated Jeremiah and had him beaten and thrown in the stocks back in chapter 20) “hat in hand” to Jeremiah, asking him to pray and intercede for them.
When King Zedekiah and the priests turned to Jeremiah, it was a grudging acknowledgment that he was God’s spokesman. They usually ignored Jeremiah, but now, in a time of crisis, they asked him to plead with God to deliver them like he had miraculously delivered Judah from Sennacherib and the Assyrian army during King Hezekiah’s reign. The key difference was that King Hezekiah had humbled himself and personally cried out to the Lord for deliverance. God, in his mercy, heard that prayer and responded to Hezekiah’s humility. Zedekiah did not show any of the humility that Hezekiah had, yet he expected God to come through and deliver them anyway. Jeremiah’s message back to Zedekiah was clear: “Not going to happen!”
But don’t miss this: When a crisis arose, the leadership turned to Jeremiah because they recognized him as the go-to guy who heard from God and fearlessly spoke God’s truth.
Do other men see you as the go-to guy when it comes to seeking the Lord? Have you ever had a worldly person make fun of you for your faith, only for them to seek you out in their time of trouble and ask you to pray for them? Has anyone ever seen you as the go-to guy who is connected to God?
That is the challenge of this story to me personally, and I hope it is for you. Are you the guy that other guys count on to connect them with God? That’s what a Battle Buddy does and is. I want to be that go-to guy. How about you?
- Are you living a life that is close, clean, and connected to the Lord, so much so that men around you know you as the “go-to guy?”
- If not, what steps do you need to take to become that go-to guy for others?
- Ask God for favor with others like Jeremiah had so that they can count on you to connect them with the Lord.