John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” was written in 1678. Since then, it has been
translated into dozens of languages. It is an allegory detailing the journey of a Christian
who is trying to find his way to heaven. It depicts the temptations that a Christian will
face as he makes his way to the celestial city. Hundreds of years after it was published,
the book has not ceased to inspire every generation of Christians. Interestingly, John
Bunyan wrote the book while he was in prison. This shows that great things can happen
in unlikely places.
“No matter where you are, guard your heart with all diligence and be sure nothing tampers with your capacity to connect with God.“
In our text, we have the account of Jeremiah recalling the word of the Lord to him. By
the word of the Lord, he knew that his uncle’s son would bring to him an opportunity to
buy his land. That was exactly what happened. As we observe with John Bunyan,
Jeremiah was also in prison when he received the word of the Lord. That also proves
that good things can happen to us even in awkward places. This brings us back to the
issue of sensitivity. Jeremiah could hear of the opportunity because he was sensitive.
Had he been bitter for being remanded, he would have lost the cutting-edge sensitivity
necessary to receive from the Lord. No matter where you are, guard your heart with all
diligence and be sure nothing tampers with your capacity to connect with God.