Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me not be blessed. Jeremiah 20:14
No point in singing “Happy birthday!” to Jeremiah. He wishes his birthday had never happened.
Later, in verse 17, Jeremiah says that he wishes he had been aborted. He feels that it would have been better not to have lived than to experience the pain and sorrow of his life.
“Why did I come out from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame?” (20:18). If he had known that life was like this, he would rather not have been born. And that is where the chapter ends!
There is a glimpse of triumph in verses 11-13: “Sing to the Lord. Give praise to the Lord. He rescues the life of the needy from the hand of the wicked.”
It might have been nicer if his triumph had come at the end. Then we would all say, “He went through this darkness, but he found the answer and emerged triumphant.” But that’s not what happens. He confesses his faith, and then another wave of questions comes pouring over his soul.
What do you do when you are disappointed with God?
