Let me hear your voice and experience your presence today.

Remember that I stood before you to speak in their behalf.

God sent Jeremiah to the people of Jerusalem who had turned away from his covenant. He called Jeremiah to urge the people to give up their worship of other gods and to remind them that they belonged to him alone. For his trouble, Jeremiah endured contempt and ridicule. He lost his family and friends. He even suffered attempts on his life.

Treachery, deceit, and betrayal are painful goads that can provoke us to self-pity or a desire for revenge. But rather than following these paths, Jeremiah entered into a series of intimate conversations with God. Sometimes he ranted. Sometimes he complained. But he stayed humble as he asked God for wisdom and strength. God didn’t mind that Jeremiah was so blunt and open. He could tell that Jeremiah wasn’t turning away from him—he just needed to have some answers.

This was the kind of relationship with the Lord that Jeremiah urged the people of Judah to pursue. He wanted them to be just as open and honest with God as he was—and just as obedient. He wanted their relationship to be fluid, with thoughts, desires, and promises flowing back and forth between God and themselves. This kind of relationship could sustain them in difficulties, allow them to withstand temptation, and encourage them to stand firm.

As with so many other Old Testament stories, Jeremiah’s story speaks to us today as well. It describes the kind of relationship that God wants to have with us: open, honest, fluid, and intimate. He wants us to feel comfortable telling him everything—just as we should be willing to hear everything he has to say to us.

So don’t be afraid to be yourself with God. Share your ups and downs, your victories and your defeats, your praise and your doubts, your gratitude and your complaints with him. He won’t be offended. Just be sure that you are open to hearing his answers. Your Father cares about every detail of your life. Even now, he is waiting to talk with you about everything and anything.