Jeremiah Chapter 11: Verses 18-20 (NLT)
Then the Lord told me about the plots my enemies were making against me. I was like a lamb being led to the slaughter. I had no idea that they were planning to kill me! “Let’s destroy this man and all his words,” they said. “Let’s cut him down, so his name will be forgotten forever.”
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
you make righteous judgments,
and you examine the deepest thoughts and secrets.
Let me see your vengeance against them,
for I have committed my cause to you.
Jeremiah did and said everything God asked him to. That made him so unpopular that those in a place of authority planned to kill him. He had no idea about that, but God did and revealed it to him. Jeremiah committed the work into God’s hands. That meant he had to leave any retribution up to God too. It wasn’t his place to get his own back.
Sometimes we are unaware of what others are planning. We can get caught out by people who don’t wish us well. But God misses nothing, and He can, if he chooses, make us aware of things that may be happening when our backs are turned. If we have been treated unfairly or unjustly, we need to leave things in God’s hands. That isn’t always easy, but getting our own back isn’t something that we should be focussing on. Jeremiah conducted himself with integrity at all times, and that’s what God expects us to do, with the confidence that he will work everything out for His good will and purposes.
Dear Lord,
Help us always to walk with integrity and God-given wisdom, even in the most difficult and trying of circumstances. I ask in Jesus’ Name and for Your glory. Amen.