Chloral hydrate. Just the mention of the word makes me cringe.

When my son was nine months old, his body was affected by what doctors believed to be a virus.  This virus caused him to experience a high fever, red eyes, red lips and it affected his heart.

After his initial hospitalization stay, we were advised that our son would need to have an echocardiogram performed every few months to ensure his heart was healing properly. The echocardiogram visit required that our son lay still. Try telling that to an eleven month old! And that’s where chloral hydrate comes into the story.

What is chloral hydrate?  It’s a sedative commonly given to young children….it’s also very bitter and probably the nastiest tasting stuff you can imagine.

Needless to say, it took the two of us (both my husband & I) to hold our son down and force this liquid into him.  My eleven month old gurgled, gagged, and wailed.  While holding him down, I told him over and over again that I loved him. It broke my heart.

And so it was with Jeremiah. The message God asked him to deliver to the people was a bitter one. Exile is coming. Jeremiah’s voice trembled, his eyes were filled with tears and his heart was broken for the people. Jeremiah was indeed the weeping prophet.

In Jeremiah chapter 30, Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian army stood right outside Jerusalem’s city walls. Exile was no longer an empty threat, exile was literally knocking at their door.

But in the midst of this dark hour, Jeremiah proclaims the word of the Lord. “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” (Jer 31:3)

God wanted his children to know. His love is unconditional. His love is everlasting. Even in our darkest moments.

The New Testament says it this way, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.” (John 3:16a)

From Genesis to Revelation, God’s message is consistent. His love is deep, His love is unconditional, His love is everlasting. Even in our darkest moments, when nothing makes sense.

Maybe you are there. Depression, loneliness, divorce, sickness…whatever your chloral hydrate looks like, however bitter it may taste… you are not alone. I pray you feel the arms of our Father, holding you down and whispering these words in your ear…

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”

-Binu