A God You Made Cannot Help You
By Pastor Jerry A. Burns
Look at the word “make” in this verse. In the Hebrew it is a very common word. It means to do or to fashion something with your hands. It is the same word God uses in Exodus 20:4: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.”
That one word shows the problem Jeremiah is pointing out. A man takes wood or gold and makes a god. But the thing he made can never be greater than the man who made it. It cannot give him what he does not have himself. That is why Jeremiah calls them “no gods” at all.
The true God is the opposite. We did not make Him. He made us. Psalm 100:3 says, “it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves.”
Most of us have never carved an idol. But we can still make gods. We build our lives around a paycheque, a career, a relationship, our good name, or our own plans. We look to them for peace and safety. Then trouble comes, and they have nothing to give us. If you made it, it cannot save you.
Jeremiah knew this. Just before this verse he prayed, “O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction.” When trouble came, he did not run to something a man had made. He ran to the God who made everything.
So where do you run first? When the bad news comes, what do you reach for? Your answer may show you a god you did not know you had made.
Before you go to bed tonight, write down the first thing you lean on when you are worried. Then read Jeremiah 16:19 out loud, and tell the Lord that He alone is your refuge.
"I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving." — Psalm 69:30
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This Week's Radio Program
Week Forty-Four • November 1, 2026
What are you Seeking?
In this week’s message titled "What are you Seeking?" from Kitchener Baptist Church, Pastor Jerry A. Burns explores John 20 to show how the world searches for meaning in the wrong places. Listeners will hear how Solomon looked for purpose in worldly success and pleasures only to find vanity, and how Mary Magdalene sought her Savior at the tomb, weeping for the dead before discovering He had risen.
Pastor Burns reminds us that true life is found only in Jesus Christ. The reality of Christ gives us life, and His resurrection is the key to our salvation and eternal life. We must choose life, for Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Join us on "Timeless Truths" as we turn to God's Word for these vital answers.
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