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Day 261 Jeremiah 18:18 Then they said, “Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come and let us attack him with the tongue and let us not give heed to any of his words.” 19 Give heed to me, O LORD, and listen to the voice of those who contend with me! 20 Shall evil be repaid for good? For they have dug a pit for my life. Remember that I stood before You to speak good for them, to turn away Your wrath from them. 21 Therefore deliver up their children to the famine and pour out their blood by the force of the sword. Let their wives become widows bereaved of their children. Let their men be put to death; their young men slain by the sword in battle. 22 Let them hear a cry from their houses when You bring a troop suddenly upon them. For they dug a pit to take me and hidden snares for my feet. 23 Yet, LORD, You know all their counsel against me to slay me. Provide no atonement for their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from Your sight;, but let them be overthrown before You. Deal thus with them in the time of Your anger. When people come against you, you want bad things to happen to them. You don’t want anyone to sympathize with them to bring more trouble your way. God gave Jeremiah a word to give the people because of their disobedience. When they would not listen to God’s word for them, they plotted to bring evil against Jeremiah. Jeremiah in turn begged God to deal with them and not hold back His anger but give them everything coming to them. As Christians, you find yourself in Jeremiah’s shoes when people scoff at your devotion to Jesus Christ. You hear their words of condemnation and hate. You see the things they do to you, and you pour out your anger to God, telling Him what He should do to those people. Jeremiah didn’t forget they were God’s people. He knew God loved and cared for them as much as He did for him. Yet, the trouble they brought him, their intent to kill him, brought Jeremiah to the place where he pleaded with God to show His vengeance on His people. Never forget the people you want God to judge for coming against you, He also loves. God wants them to know Him and the fruit of His love for them. Deep down, Judah knew God loved them and wanted them to return to Him. Yet they wanted to live their lives their way. They didn’t want to submit to God and His way for them. Those who come against you might not know God and His love for them. Pray for a heart change that they would know God and Jesus, His Son. Remember, God doesn’t want anyone to perish but for all to come to salvation through His Son. If those condemning you know Jesus as Savior and Lord, ask God to give them an understanding of who they fight against. It isn’t you, it’s God. Pray for God to judge them as Jeremiah did. Pray for God to touch their hearts and hear His words. Pray for a repentant heart and obedience to His Word. God will fight for you. Pray for God to work in you and those who come against you. Then watch what God will do. Don’t act yourself. The battle doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to God. Let’s pray: Father, You know the trouble facing me. Help me give every problem to You and watch You fight for me. I might have suggestions, but You have the answers. Let me be content with Your answer Lord. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 2 March 2022 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay.