There is a cartoon on the door of a pastor's office that pictures a man with a noose around his neck, standing on a pile of self-help books. The message is clear. None of the suggestions in these books were effective in offering any guidance that would bring a solution to his problems or a promise of hope in his anxiety. Nothing he could do for himself would reduce his desperation.

Now some psychological insights are definitely important for our mental well-being. However, without connection to the forgiving and redeeming mercy of the Lord, they can leave us empty, living an "almost-but-not-quite" existence. Something is still missing.

This is the human condition Jeremiah address in today's Old Testament lesson. In the four verses of the chapter which precede our text, Jeremiah describes…