Jeremiah was probably somewhere in his late teens when he began preaching. The first few chapters of his book record some of his earliest sermons, and they have all the passion you would expect from a young fireball. In Jeremiah 2, he unpacks the phases of how God’s marriage with Israel fell to pieces. 

Jeremiah 2:2-3 – This is what the Lord says, “I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the wilderness, through a land not sown. Israel was holy to the Lord…”

The Honeymoon Phase

First, we see the early stages of married love. The Lord said, “I remember your devotion. We were glued together.” The Hebrew word for “devotion” is hesed, and can also mean covenant love, faithfulness, patience, loving-kindness, and loyalty. How was that devotion expressed? The Lord said, “You followed me through the wilderness.”

Devotion doesn’t come by gritting your teeth and forcing yourself. It’s an emotion you feel that flows from the heart. Our English word means “an enthusiasm for another person.”

Here’s a stab at the idea. “Remember when we had nothing but a dream of a life together in the Promised Land? All we had in the pantry was a loaf of manna and some beef jerky. We couldn’t afford to eat out or even go shopping. We used to make our own clothes. Shoot. We lived so far out in the sticks we didn’t have a Walmart. It didn’t matter because we had each other, and that was enough. I brought you flowers, and you rubbed my back, and we cuddled, smooched, and whispered secrets into the night.”

Remember the early stages of your devotion to the Lord? I found Jesus as a freshman at Oral Roberts University. I was sitting in my dorm, debating if I should accept an invitation to go “clubbing” with my new roommate and some other girls. That’s when I heard a knock at the door. A senior named Kevin Anderson stood looking cool like Keanu Reaves in a black leather jacket. He was the “spiritual life dorm director.” He asked if he could come in, and we talked for a bit. Then he challenged me. He said, “Arlie, there are two kinds of people here at ORU. Those who were forced to come by their parents and those who want to grow in their relationship with Jesus. You have to decide right now which group you’re going to hang out with.” Then he prayed with me.  

That Sunday, I fully committed my life to Jesus at Victory Christian Center, and my heart came alive with a love for God. I couldn’t get enough. I used to get up early in the morning, take my cheap nylon string acoustic guitar, and go to the stairwell of our old dorm to sing love songs to God. Sitting on the cold cement steps, it echoed like a monastery. In those moments, I told the Lord I would go anywhere he wanted me to go. 

Our relationship with God is like a fire. It needs time and attention to keep the blaze burning. The promises of the Bible are the logs, and our prayers are like a bellows. John wrote to the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2. They were doing everything right, but their fire had grown cold. 

Revelations 2:4 – Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.