Let Them Die!

Sometimes the honesty and vulnerability of the authors of the Bible is oddly comforting. One of the reasons I love the Psalms so much is that David isn’t afraid to express exactly how he is feeling to God. We can catch glimpses of his humanity as he begs God to avenge him or help him. Jeremiah is another author who isn’t afraid to be real and raw with God. Several days ago I was reading from his book and was quite surprised at what I saw. Jeremiah describes a plot where the people decided to spread rumors about him and ignore what he was saying. This was Jeremiah’s response. After asking God to help him and to listen to what his enemies were saying, he went on with his version of a solution. “So let their children starve! Let them die by the sword! Let their wives become childless widows. Let their old men die in a plague, and let their young men be killed in battle! Let screaming be heard from their homes as warriors come suddenly upon them. For they have dug a pit for me and have hidden traps along my path” (Jeremiah 18:21, 22).

Wow! I don’t know what you’re going through right now. Maybe you can relate to Jeremiah in this situation, having rumors spread about you and people not listening to you or believing in you. If so, does his response resonate at all? At first glance it’s easy to become self-righteous. “I’d never wish for even my worst enemy to starve or die!” But maybe you do! And that’s the point. It’s completely natural to have these feelings. But here’s the lesson for us: Jeremiah didn’t try to avenge himself or take matters into his own hands. Instead, he turned the situation over to God and allowed Him to avenge him in His own way. And in the process, Jeremiah wasn’t afraid to share with God exactly how he was feeling. So whatever you’re going through today, turn it over to God. Trust Him to care for you and see you through. Share with Him how you’re really feeling, because He already knows. He knows everything and He loves you more than you could imagine. So be honest with Him - and then trust Him to handle it all.