Jeremiah 12:1: “Righteous are You, O LORD, when I plead with You; / Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. / Why does the way of the wicked prosper? / Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?”

October 11th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Jeremiah had a question for God, and since it is recorded here, we can assume that bringing questions to God is reasonable. It might be argued that Jeremiah was complaining to the Lord about things he couldn’t understand, but we notice that he was very careful to start his question with recognition of God’s righteous and just character. Like all of us, Jeremiah had allowed himself to become anxious and worried over something beyond his control.

We have all had times when the things happening to us make life so difficult that we are tempted to say, “God, if you really love me, why are you allowing this to happen to me?” Jeremiah was wondering why God allowed wicked people to prosper. Life is not fair. When we find ourselves in dire straits, it’s easy to fall into complaining about how unfair life is. We have a pity party and think our problems are worse than others people’s problems.

There is a story of a young man who loved God but felt like he was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer. “Lord, I can’t go on. My cross is too heavy to bear.” The Lord gently replied, “My son, if you can’t bear its weight, just place it inside this room, then open that other door and pick out any cross you wish.” The young man was filled with relief. “Thank you, Lord,” he sighed. Entering the other door, he saw many crosses, some so large that the tops weren’t even visible. Finally he spotted a tiny cross leaning against the far wall. “I’d like that one, Lord,” he whispered. “My son,” the Lord replied, “that is the cross you just brought in.”

“LORD, help us to stay focused on just what You give us this day—no more, no less.”