''But if I say, “I will not mention him or speak in his name any more,” it is as if a fire were burning in my heart, and it is held in my bones. I am exhausted trying to hold it in; I can no longer do it!'' Jeremiah 20:9

Jeremiah was a prophet who was a contemporary of Ezekiel. He worked during the period of the Israelites' exile in Babylon. He began before Ezekiel. Ezekiel was like his successor. Jeremiah worked more with the people, while Ezekiel worked more with royalty and influential people.

Jeremiah's message was that the people needed to repent of their sins, because otherwise they would be taken to be slaves in Babylon. Then, Jeremiah warned that there would be no point in fleeing to Egypt or the desert. All of these actions would be futile. In the end, Jeremiah went on to announce that the only thing that would help would be to surrender themselves so that they could save their lives.

It is important to remember that, even in the Old Testament, God had already shown mercy. In order to take Israel into captivity, He had spent centuries warning them of the punishment beforehand. And the exile was not for their total destruction, but rather for the purification and spiritual restoration of the nation. Many in prosperity forget God, but in trials they remember Him again.

Jeremiah's message of repentance was not accepted by the people. They wanted to continue worshiping Tammuz (Sumerian deity) and other pagan gods. Jeremiah also faced false prophets who, in order to benefit from the king, preached peace and well-being for all. One of them once even slapped Jeremiah. They spoke for themselves and not for the Spirit of God.

All of this made Jeremiah often think about stopping prophesying, as we see in the verse in question. However, when he thought about it, a fire burned in his heart. The Holy Spirit called Jeremiah to announce his message, and God bothered him so that he would continue his ministry. The call spoke louder than anything.

Today we are in the new covenant where the message is not as heavy and dramatic, although it was true, like that of Jeremiah (a courageous prophet full of the Holy Spirit). The message of the New Testament is that God himself became incarnate to prove his love for us. He died and rose again to give us a new chance. Jesus, in his teachings and actions, demonstrated himself to be the most intriguing and wonderful person in history.

However, like Jeremiah, we also have a call from God (Mk 16:15). We cannot stop proclaiming his love, promises and transformation. There will be days when we are discouraged, distressed or stressed, but the Holy Spirit will give us the strength to carry on. God's call will speak louder.

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