For the shepherds are stupid and do not inquire of the Lord. Therefore, they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered.
– Jeremiah 10:21
What an indictment of the leaders among God’s people. This language, “For the shepherds are stupid.” They’re dumb, and listen to why. Because they do not inquire of the Lord. That’s the indictment here. They don’t go to God for his wisdom, for his direction, for his leadership in their lives and among the people of God. That’s what makes them dumb. They lead according to their own wisdom, their own ideas, and their own thoughts. They don’t go before the Lord. Listen to his Word. Seek him in prayer. Therefore, the people of God have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered.
Jeremiah 10:21 outlines the highest priority for Christian leaders.
There is clearly a word here for every pastor or leader among God’s people, including myself, that our first responsibility as a leader among God’s people is to inquire of the Lord, to seek him in prayer, to listen to his Word, and to follow his leadership. That’s the whole design of leaders among God’s people, that they would be close to God, seeking God, and he would be leading his people through those leaders.
And so I want to encourage anyone listening to this who has any leadership responsibilities among God’s people in any way, to inquire of the Lord, seek the Lord, listen to his Word continually. Meditate on it, memorize it, hide it in your heart, and live and lead according to it in such a way that God will lead his people through you. Not you leading the people, but God leading the people. That’s only possible through your constant inquiring of the Lord.
Jeremiah 10:21 is a call to ongoing spiritual dependence.
And then if I could make application to, I think all the time, I pray all the time about Heather and me, how God has entrusted us to shepherd the hearts of these six children that he has given us. We pray all the time that we would shepherd their hearts well. And so I read here, “The shepherds are stupid and do not inquire of the Lord.” I, my wife, and I need God’s help, God’s wisdom, God’s direction in shepherding our home. So just think about even your relationships in your home or your influence in any way on other people that God has put in your life. Influence them in ways that point them to God. That’s only possible through inquiring of the Lord. So let’s pray this over each other and over our leaders.
God, we don’t want to be stupid shepherds in our church, in our homes, and we don’t want to be led by stupid shepherds. So we pray for every one of us who leads, influences, shepherds in any way, God, that we would continually inquire of you, that we would not trust in ourselves, but that we would turn to you continually and listen to your Word and meditate on it and memorize it and let it soak into our hearts and minds and direct everything we do.
God, we pray for wise shepherding of hearts according to your Word, according to your heart, because we’re inquiring of you. And God, we pray for those who lead us in any way, we pray that they would inquire of you, that you would keep them, save them continually from themselves, and help them to lead us according to your Word, according to your Spirit, in ways that lead to our prospering.
Prayer for the Laki People
God, help us to lead others in a way that leads to their prospering and to be led by others in a way that leads to our prospering. Because we as leaders and those who lead us are inquiring of you. And oh God, as we pray for unreached people, like the Laki people of Iran, oh God, for 1.3 million of them who have no known believers among them. God, we pray that you would help us as your people to inquire of you, and as you lead different ones of us to go, to share the gospel with the Laki.
We pray for Iranian brothers and sisters to inquire of you, and we pray for your direction, raising up of laborers, to go among the Laki of Iran, that they might be reached with the good news of your grace and your love in Jesus, that they might be shepherded towards you. God, we pray for the Laki people of Iran in this way. All of this, oh God, we pray according to your Word in Jeremiah 10:21. In Jesus’ name, in the name of the one who faithfully leads us to you, amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
