Much has been written about South Africa’s win in the rugby world cup. They have been described as true champions, who are an inspiration for their home country and who never seemed to give up when hit with challenges. True champions never give up easily.

Jeremiah features prominently in the Old Testament. His faith meant a lot to him and described God as a true champion in his life. His writings reflected this and Jeremiah comes across as upbeat, energised, positive and in a good place. But you will also find in his writings, darkness, fear and upset. There is even one part of his writing where he curses the day he was born and rebels against God and life in general. The book of Jeremiah is just brutally honest and always to the point.

His story can often be a reflection of ours too. When it comes to faith matters there are no easy options or hideouts to shield us from the knocks of life. Our belief in a loving God stretches us and pulls us. We have our doubts and our setbacks, our disappointments and frustrations. But no matter how bad things are, we can often say that our faith was the rock we could cling to. Somehow and sometimes our faith was the foothold that gave us grip when everything else was slipping around us.

It certainly happened for Jeremiah. Even after journeying through much upset and darkness, he was able to say that “The Lord is with me.” Jeremiah’s story has much to say to our modern world, but at its heart is the simple but hugely important message: “Do not give up”