Gary Hamrick - The Right Way to See a Wrong World (01/22/2026)
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In Jeremiah 11-12, the prophet faces a deadly plot from his own hometown priests and family for faithfully warning of God’s judgment, leading him to question why the wicked prosper; Pastor Gary teaches that in a fallen world, righteous and unrighteous coexist for now, challenges prepare us for greater purposes, and we must trust God’s goodness and timing rather than compare or resent.
Opening Greeting and Scripture Reading
All right, friends. Good morning. Let’s take a look at our Bibles at Jeremiah chapter 11. I’m going to start at verse 18. I’m going to read down to the end of the chapter and then also into chapter 12. We’re going to read the first six verses. So starting Jeremiah 11, verse 18.
Jeremiah writes here; he says, «Because the Lord revealed their plot to me—and we’ll talk about this in a moment—I knew it. For at that time he showed me what they were doing. I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying, 'Let us destroy the tree and its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.'
„But O Lord Almighty, you who judge righteously and test the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.“
„Therefore this is what the Lord says about the men of Anathoth who are seeking your life and saying, 'Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord or you will die by our hands'—therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: I will punish them. Their young men will die by the sword; their sons and daughters by famine. Not even a remnant will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the men of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.“
Chapter 12, verse 1: „You are always righteous, O Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts.
„Yet you know me, O Lord; you see me and test my thoughts about you. Drag them off like sheep to be butchered! Set them apart for the day of slaughter! How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered? Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and birds have perished. Moreover, the people are saying, 'He will not see what happens to us.'“
Verse 5: „If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan? Your brothers, your own family—even they have betrayed you; they have raised a loud cry against you. Do not trust them, though they speak well of you.“
Opening Prayer
Let’s pause there and pray. Father, we thank you for our time now in your Word. And we’re mindful, Lord, of a world in which we live—that, Lord, some love you and some don’t. And no doubt gathered here even in your house, there are some who love you and some who are here because they don’t know you but they’re perhaps curious or maybe they were invited by a friend. And I pray that you will reveal yourself in a wonderful and tender and personal way—that we would all leave here today feeling refreshed in your presence and knowing you in a better way. And we just thank you for your Word. And I thank you for all those who are here and those who are watching online today. We commit it all to you, Lord, for your glory and for our edification. In Jesus' name we pray, and everybody said amen.
The Plot Against Jeremiah
Well, what we’re reading here in chapter 11—you can look back at chapter 11—what we’re reading here in chapter 11 is that there is a plot afoot by some of the men of Judah, in particular from the town of Anathoth, who want to kill Jeremiah. They want to kill Jeremiah. Jeremiah is hated for speaking the truth—for telling people that their sin will have consequences. He is hated because he’s telling them that their continued idolatry and rebellion against the Lord will incur the wrath of God, and He will bring the Babylonians to bear upon the people of Judah as the rod of His discipline, as the vehicle of His judgment.
The people of Judah don’t want to hear this. They don’t want to hear about sin; they don’t want to hear about consequences; they don’t want to hear about God. And so they despise Jeremiah. And you know the old saying: if you don’t like the message, just go ahead and kill the messenger. And so that’s what they want to do. They want to kill Jeremiah. They want to completely do away with him.
And so in chapter 11 here, we read about this plot against Jeremiah. Now what makes this plot even more grievous is that it is hatched in the town of Anathoth. Verse 21 tells us it’s the men of Anathoth that are planning this plot to murder Jeremiah. Now that’s significant for three reasons.
First of all, Anathoth is the hometown of Jeremiah. It’s where he was born. In chapter 1, verse 1, it tells us that he’s from Anathoth—which means that the very people who want to kill Jeremiah are his own neighbors, his hometown friends, the people he grew up with. They’ve now turned on him. So his own neighbors are wanting to kill him. That’s important to the story.
Secondly, Anathoth was one of the few priest cities in Israel where the priests lived and raised families. Now if you know your Old Testament very well—if you don’t, new information for you—but God would allot the land of Israel to the Jews based on their tribes. There was tribal allotment, and they inherited land by tribes. But not the priests. The priests were of the tribe of Levi, and the Levites had the Lord as their inheritance. So they were never given any land. However, they were given certain cities called priest cities in which to live and raise their families. Anathoth was one of the priest cities in which the priests lived.
Which means something else significant about this plot against Jeremiah: these are no ordinary citizens, no ordinary countrymen of Judah—these are the religious leaders; these are the priests who are conspiring to kill him. So number one: it’s his neighbors. Number two: it’s the religious leaders of Judah—the priests—who were conspiring to kill him.
And number three: because Anathoth is the hometown of Jeremiah—he grows up there—he’s part of a priestly family. The Bible tells us that by birth Jeremiah is also a priest—not just a prophet. He is of the Levitical tribe; his dad is a priest. Jeremiah doesn’t tell us he ever served in his priestly duties—he was primarily a prophet—but nevertheless, he was born into a priestly family. And it indicates to us in the text here that apparently Jeremiah’s own family was a part of this plot to kill him.
If you glance again at chapter 12 and look at verse 6—this is where we see that. In chapter 12, verse 6, this is the Lord speaking to Jeremiah, and He says to him in verse 6 of chapter 12: „Your brothers, your own family—even they have betrayed you; they have raised a loud cry against you. Do not trust them, though they speak well of you.“ They’re going around saying Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Thanksgiving—but they want to make him the turkey. Do you understand? Okay.
And so now put this all together and put yourself in Jeremiah’s shoes here. He is the target of an assassination. They want to kill him. The people of Anathoth have come together to hatch this plan. So it’s basically his neighbors, his spiritual leaders, and his own family who betray him and want him dead.
But thank God for the sake of God—God exposes this plot. And that’s what we read at the beginning of our text in verse 18 of chapter 11. Verse 18: Jeremiah says, „Because the Lord revealed their plot to me, I knew it.“ It’s the only way he came to understand this—because otherwise, in the next verse, in 11:19, he says, „I was basically like a little gentle lamb being led to the slaughter. I was oblivious to this plot of them trying to kill me. I knew nothing about it.“
Verse 19: he said, „I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying"—and then he quotes the plotters, the haters, the murderers—he quotes them, and they say this: «Let us destroy the tree and its fruit"—so that’s just a metaphor for Jeremiah, the tree and its fruit—"let’s destroy him, and let us cut him off from the land of the living"—cut him off, okay—"that his name be remembered no more.»
Well, obviously it didn’t work because here we are some twenty-five hundred years later still talking about Jeremiah. God intervened, and God saved his life. But these guys wanted him dead—gone, dead. Not just: how can we get this guy to shut up? It wasn’t just that. It was like: why don’t we just, you know, send a couple of guys from New York and break his kneecaps? Maybe he’ll just be quiet with all this stuff. No, no, no, no—they wanted to roll mafia style. I mean, they wanted like: we’re going to make him go away so that nobody will find him. We’re going to bury him under the end zone at Giants Stadium with Jimmy Hoffa. That’s what they’re thinking, okay? We’re just going to make him go away so that nobody knows him.
And then Jeremiah pleads his case. And in verse 20—I’m still here in chapter 11—verse 20 he says, «But O Lord Almighty, you who judge righteously and test the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.»
So he says: Lord, you’ve exposed this plot to me. These are my neighbors; these are my spiritual leaders; this is my family—they’re trying to kill me. Lord, sic 'em. You ever prayed a prayer like that? Anybody done you wrong? Nobody’s ever done you wrong—you haven’t lived life yet. So when somebody does you wrong, do you pray one of those prayers like: Lord, just get them—you know, with love, but in Jesus' name, get them, you know?
And so it’s one of those vengeful kind of prayers. Now listen—by the way, I’m not encouraging this—but there’s nothing actually in the Bible that says praying a prayer of vengeance is wrong. What the Bible says is acting on vengeance is wrong—because «vengeance is mine, ” says the Lord; „I will avenge.“ That’s the Lord’s prerogative. Paul reminds us in Romans 12:19.
So while it might be okay to just kind of, you know, pour out our hearts to the Lord when we’re upset about somebody and say: Lord, would you—you know, vengeance—I’m leaving it to you, Lord. But we should never act on that. That’s not our place. That’s God’s right and privilege and prerogative to do what He wants to do—and if He chooses to or not, that’s up to the Lord.
So Jeremiah prays this prayer of vengeance, but it was the Lord who decided what He wanted to do. And all of this—all of this—I mean, just try to imagine the personal betrayal he must be feeling here. And he’s just trying to serve the Lord; he’s just trying to honor God; he’s just trying to live for the Lord and warn people whom he loves about impending disaster that’s coming. What’s so wrong with that? He’s just trying to do what’s good and right and honoring God, and people are trying to kill him.
Jeremiah’s Questions About Injustice
And all of this starts to weigh on him, and Jeremiah begins to wonder something that many of us wonder when there is evil and injustice in the world—particularly when some of that evil and injustice in the world is directed towards us. And what he ends up doing is he asks common questions—two questions he asks in chapter 12, verse 1—the end of verse 1 in chapter 12. Here are the two questions that he asks: why does the way of the wicked prosper? And second question: why do all the faithless live at ease?
That’s what he asks the Lord. Now he’s respectful about it with God. He’s not questioning God’s character, integrity, or intentions here—because he actually begins chapter 12, verse 1 by saying: „You are always righteous, O God. You’re always righteous when I bring a case before you.“ So he recognizes that God is just and righteous. But he wonders—it’s okay to wonder—he wonders why. He wonders why it seems that the wicked get away with things—and even at times they seem to prosper. They don’t just get away with stuff; they seem to even be doing well in life while sometimes the righteous suffer.
This is what Jeremiah’s feeling. It’s like: I’m trying to do what is right, what is good; I’m trying to live a righteous life before the Lord—people are trying to kill me without cause. I’m just trying to warn them and trying to be faithful—they’re wanting to murder me. And why is it that they seem to be getting off scot-free? Why is my life under stress? Why am I trying to be killed here, Lord? Why aren’t you doing something? Any questions, God?
The tendency when we don’t understand the inequities of life is to begin to transition to self and ask those questions: what about me? And how come my life is not as easy or as good or as cheerful or as successful—or whatever—as the guy or the lady down the road who doesn’t even live for you, Lord? You know, why is this? Why does my life seem to have more distress than somebody who doesn’t even live for you or love you?
And so he wonders this. And this is the kind of thing that begins to happen often when we encounter these kinds of injustices or inequities—particularly as it becomes directed toward ourselves. And this is where Jeremiah ends up going. He transitions to himself. And in chapter 12, verse 3—the first part of verse 3—he says to the Lord: „Yet you know me, O Lord; you see me and test my thoughts about you.“ In other words: I’m not like these other people. You know I’m better than that. I’m trying to live for your glory. I’m not like they are. And I’m good with you, Lord—you know me; you test my thoughts.
And then you’ve got to love his raw emotion here—'cause the rest of verse 3 in his prayer to God he says: why don’t you just drag them off like sheep to be butchered? Can you do that for me, Lord? Just butcher them—set them apart for the day of slaughter. Okay? And it’s just raw emotion. It’s like: Lord, why don’t you just take care of these people that are treating me so cruelly?
And folks, it is common for us to question God about our difficulties—especially when we see someone who doesn’t follow the Lord seem to have fewer difficulties than we. It’s common to question the Lord about those things. But it’s not necessarily right.
Message Title: The Right Way to See a Wrong World
So I’ve titled my teaching today: The Right Way to See a Wrong World. And I’m going to give you five quick points about how do we respond in a world where there are injustices, evil, inequities—and a lot of times it’s even directed towards us. And so you can personalize this in whatever way you might be going through things or might have encountered different challenges in your life. Because I think there’s a right way to see a wrong world. And our world is wrong—our world needs Jesus; it needs saving. And so we live in a fallen world.
Point 1: The Righteous and Unrighteous Coexist for Now
And that’s partly the first point. Number one—for you note-takers—the righteous and the unrighteous exist together for now. And we have to just realize this and recognize this. Here’s a verse for you taking notes: Matthew 5:45. In Matthew 5:45, Jesus says something that is rich in truth but it’s often just read and overlooked. Here’s what He says: „God causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.“
It’s easy to read that thing: okay, great—what other spiritual truths do you have for me, Lord? But that’s packed with important truths. So I just want to frame this by pulling up a little bit 30,000 feet—looking at the broader issue about inequities, injustice, and evil in the world—and try to reconcile, help us to understand theologically, biblically through that lens: you know, why is it that sometimes, you know, good people suffer? „Good“ is relative—none of us is good; we’re all unrighteous before God; we need a Savior.
But in terms of just quantifying things: why is it sometimes, you know, good people suffer and bad people seem to get off scot-free? This whole dilemma that we have to reconcile all of this in our lives and in the world. And listen—for purposes of discussion, the Bible does refer to the righteous as those who are following the Lord, love the Lord, committed to Him—and the unrighteous who aren’t. So there are terms in the Bible that distinguish between those who are followers of the Lord—love the Lord, yielded their lives to the Lord—and then the unrighteous and the wicked and evil in the world.
And the fact of the matter is that the righteous and unrighteous will exist together in our world. And because the righteous and the unrighteous exist together in the world, that means that some of the wonderful benefits of God’s grace that pour over the righteous will also spill over to the unrighteous—because God causes His sun to shine on the righteous and the unrighteous. It’s not like you wake up in the morning and the sun only rises on the east in your bedroom—it also is in that of the unrighteous. And it’s not that only your fields get watered when it rains—like God just, you know, only has a cylinder of rain that comes to your backyard. I mean, He’s going to water the earth, and therefore the righteous and the unrighteous will benefit equally often because of the goodness of God and the spillover effect of the goodness of God.
Case in point: Sodom and Gomorrah. You have Sodom and Gomorrah—the twin cities, evil cities—and you have a righteous family: Lot and his family living in the wicked city of Sodom. And because they were righteous, God was merciful to that family—and thus His mercy spilled over to the whole city. But the moment that family was removed, then His judgment came. But as long as they were in place, God’s mercy spilled over to the whole town—not just to one family. They were the indirect recipients of God’s blessings directed to that one family—the whole town was.
So we need to understand that in some ways, because of the righteous in the earth, the unrighteous will also be recipients of God’s wonderful grace. But the opposite is true. Thanks to sin and Satan, we now live in a fallen world. This is a corrupt world, an evil world, a wicked world. And therefore some of the things that go along in a wicked world will rub up against us. We will become tainted by the adversities and challenges in the darkness of the world in which we live. We will be affected by death and disease and betrayal and all kinds of grievous things that mankind does to mankind. It’s inescapable. We share the same space for now. We coexist together. And therefore God’s blessings flow over, but also the mess and the sin of a corrupt world—thanks to sin and Satan—are also things that we have to deal with in our lives too.
So when we look at our lives and we go: how come some bad things are happening? I thought I was really living for you, Lord. It’s the result of living in a world where there’s a lot of adversity and challenges and darkness—and it’s messy. And there are things that we’re going to experience in our lives just because we’re still living here in this present world.
Which is why Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:20: our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible is always trying to point us vertically and remind us that when the adversity of this world begins to take its toll on you, remember that you don’t belong here. Your citizenship is in heaven, and we’re only passing through. And therefore make the best of your life here now and influence it for the glory of God. But we have to keep our focus on heaven. We have to keep our focus on the Lord—fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the Father. The reason He sat down was because His work was finished—so that as many as believe in Him and receive it, we can have new life in Christ.
But even in that—having new life in Christ—we still have to live in a corrupt, fallen world. We will therefore be subject to things in this corrupt, fallen world—even though we may not be the direct cause of it. We still will be a part of it because we’re living in this world. You know the simple illustration: if there’s one smoker in a household, other people will be affected by secondhand smoke because they live in the same household—there’s detrimental effects. The same is true of our world. You may not be the direct cause of it, but as a result of living in a fallen world, we might have to suffer some of the adversity of living in a world where the righteous and the unrighteous exist together for now.
Help me, Lord, to make a difference while I’m here.
Point 2: Challenges Prepare Us for a Greater Race
Which leads to point number two: through the challenges we face, God is preparing us for a greater race. Through the challenges we face, God is preparing us for a greater race.
Notice in chapter 12, verse 5—this is God’s first response to the questions that Jeremiah poses. Again, you know: why do the wicked have it so easy, and how come, you know, they get off scot-free? Okay, this is God’s response—chapter 12, verse 5: „If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?“
What—how’s that an answer? Here’s what God is saying. He’s basically saying that the challenges and difficulties we face in life help to strengthen and prepare us for greater plans that God has for us. That’s that whole comparative thing there where He says: you know, listen—if you’ve raced with men on foot and they’ve worn you out, how can you compete with horses? I’ve got a better race and a bigger purpose for your life that you aren’t prepared for unless you first go through this process—which will strengthen you, refine you, and make you better used for My purposes in your life.
Now please hear me on this: I’m not saying God causes the adversities in order to strengthen and prepare us for greater purposes. I’m saying He uses our adversities and the things that we go through to strengthen and prepare us for more useful service in the kingdom.
I’ll illustrate it this way. The last month, Terry and I went to Oktoberfest in Thurmont, Maryland—where I’ve been going many years since I was a little kid. But you know, you get to the point where as a man you’re like: I’ve done enough flea markets, amen, guys? I mean, it’s just like yeah—but you’re still going to go because, you know, you love your wife. And let’s just be honest—you want points. And so I said: all right, let’s go.
And so we went to Oktoberfest, and you know—all these different—it was chaotic; it was just, you know, like a flea market on steroids. It was just chaotic. But there was one booth that I liked, and this one booth that I just stood at and watched. This guy was a blacksmith, and he was forging things with wrought iron and making just some beautiful fixtures—like candle holders and tools and different things that—just awesome artistry, really there.
And so he’s, you know—he’s got the tongs that he’s got the iron; he’s got the hammer, and he’s banging it out on the anvil. And then he’ll slide it into the furnace, and it’s heated up—you know, anywhere from 2,000 to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on what metal you’re working with. And so he brings it back out—it’s glowing red-hot—and then he hammers it some more, and he hammers it some more. And it steels it and it strengthens it—but it also allows it, in its form, to be shaped until it cools, and then it solidifies.
And so we’ve all seen this, but it was just great watching him in action. And I thought to myself: this is kind of life. This is kind of like life—you know, a lot of heat and pounding. Heat and pounding. You know, the motto of a blacksmith is: get it hot and hit it hard. And that’s the way life is sometimes. Some of you have been going through things, and you’re like: the heat has been hot, and the pounding—I’ve been taking a pounding.
But the Lord—you see—is shaping you, and He’s going to use you in a more useful way. And He’s going to bring something out of that pounding and out of that adversity for His glory—because that’s what He does. He doesn’t cause it, but He uses it for His glory. And when we go through the fire and experience that kind of testing, God makes us strong and sturdy and more useful for His greater purposes.
Point 3: We Are Accountable Only for Ourselves
Number three: we are accountable just for ourselves. Don’t compare yourself with others. Don’t play this game—it can be devastating when you try to look at other people’s lives and you: what—how come they don’t die? How come they—no. And then a bad friend—I had this problem; they read that problem—you know, you can play that game all day long, and it’ll mess with your head. So stop doing that.
Life is about you and the Lord, okay? Now it’s about others and the Lord—and we should care about that only in so much as we can share the gospel and evangelize so that other people can know the Lord too. But otherwise, don’t worry about the horizontal. You need to worry about your own heart, your own life with the Lord—and stop worrying about what other people are living like and how they have it, okay?
Because here’s what begins to happen: you either will move into the area of pride or resentment—and both of those are sin. You’re either going to look at your life and say: man, I got it good compared to these people over here—these, you know, these people don’t even know the Lord, and so that’s what they get 'cause, you know, they’re not living for the Lord—as if that they’re having all these troubles, you know. And you play that kind of game—that’s terrible. Don’t do that. And then you could become proud thinking: I have it really good, and they don’t.
And the opposite happens: you look at somebody else—they seem to have it really good; you’re going through a lot—and now you resent them. So neither one is good. Don’t play the comparison game. Just make sure it’s right vertically, okay?
Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians 10:12: he says when we measure ourselves by ourselves and compare ourselves with ourselves, we’re not wise. So do the wise thing and stop comparing your situation to somebody else’s situation. You need to just focus on who you are in the Lord. You need to seek His face. You just get your heart and your mind and your attitude right with Him—and stop worrying about other people and comparing your lives to them. It’s not about you and them; it’s about you and the Lord. So stop that comparison game.
Point 4: The Unrighteous Will Be Judged in God’s Time
Number four: the unrighteous will be judged in God’s time. And I bring this up because some people have a hard time processing all of this—because they think that people are getting away with things. Let me tell you something: nobody gets away with anything. Nobody gets away with anything—including ourselves. Which is why we need the mercy of the Lord—otherwise we would get the just punishment that we deserve. But thanks be to God—because of His mercy, we don’t have to suffer what we deserve—because God is a forgiving God.
But nobody gets by with stuff. Eventually it will catch up. And God is a righteous judge. He does it for the sake of Jeremiah. Jeremiah says: Lord, these people are trying to kill me—get them. And at the end of chapter 11, verse 23, God says: not even a remnant will be left to them because I will bring disaster on the men of Anathoth—but listen—in the year of their punishment. God says: I’m going to handle them, but I’m going to handle them in my time. I’ll deal with them in my time.
God’s judgment is in God’s time. And we have a problem in this area because we want the scales of injustice to be balanced now. And we would prefer for God to deal with people who have hurt us now. And we think that if people who do wrong don’t get their just punishment now, that they’re getting away with something. Nobody is getting away with anything. God sees it, and God will judge everything in its time.
Hebrews 4, verse 13—the writer of Hebrews says: nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account. Everybody has to give an account. And God will deal with everybody in His time. So don’t worry about somebody’s going to get off scot-free. God will take care in time.
Point 5: Life Is Not Fair, But God Is Good
Lastly, number five: it’s important for us to remember that life is not fair, but God is good. Life is not fair, but God is good.
And I mention this as the last point because sometimes the pain of life causes us to think that God is not good—that if He were good, He would have prevented this; He would have stepped in, prevented some difficulty or tragedy or adversity. And God let it happen to me—and so God is not good.
This is a lie as old as the Garden of Eden. This is the tactic that Satan used with Adam and Eve. Satan would say to them: God’s basically said—God’s holding back on you. That’s why you need to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—because God’s holding back, and that if you were to eat that, your eyes will be opened; you’ll be just like Him. So you know, God’s not good; He’s holding back on you. Okay—that’s the oldest line in the book, literally.
And so we need to remember that even though at times life is not fair, God is good. When we talk like this—and I understand not necessarily to the degree of the pain that some of you have experienced in your life—but I understand it kind of theoretically. When people talk like this and they say: God is not good because if He were, He would have prevented this—and this wouldn’t happen, and that—when that happened, and my husband wouldn’t have left me, and I wouldn’t have been this, and I wouldn’t have lost my job, and my mom wouldn’t have been an alcoholic, and my dad wouldn’t—and we begin to think all these kind of things.
Let me tell you what we’re really saying is: we want heaven. And this is not it—not here. What we’re really longing for is a world where there is no pain and there is no sorrow and there is no sin and there is no disappointment and there is no betrayal and there is no offense. That’s heaven. This is not it yet.
And so in Psalm 73—I want to encourage you: if you’re really struggling with some of these things we’re talking about today, go home and read Psalm 73. And I’m going to quote a couple of verses because Psalm 73 deals with this whole subject. Asaph is the one who wrote Psalm 73, and he says in Psalm 73 verses 16 and 17: he said, „When I tried to understand all this"—when I tried to make sense of it—he says, «it was oppressive to me.» And then he says this—Psalm 73 verse 17, the next verse: «When I tried to understand all this—the injustice, the evil, the righteous, the unrighteous, you know, adversity and all"—he said, «when I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the house of the Lord and I saw their final destiny.»
He said: when I entered God’s house and I got God’s perspective and God’s heart on this, then I realized: God’s going to take care of every person who’s ever wronged me or every unrighteous person in the earth. That’s between God and them. I just know this: I need to seek the Lord. I’m going to go to the house of the Lord; I’m going to get the right perspective; I’m going to get God’s heart—and I’m going to be free from the frenzy in my mind concerning all of this.
«It was oppressive to me when I thought about this—till I entered the house of the Lord, and then I understood their final destiny.»
And then he adds this in Psalm 73 verses 23 to 26: he says, «Yet I am always with you"—this is his prayer to the Lord—"because I’m always with you. I’m not going to leave you.» And he says: «and you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.» And he says this: «My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.» Amen, amen.
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray. Lord, it is true that our heart and our strength may fail—because at times this world can be wearisome. We can suffer through adversities and trials and betrayal and all kinds of things. And when we try to think about it, it becomes overwhelming to us—till we enter the house of the Lord, until we get your perspective, until we get your heart. And then we can just rest, Lord, and trust you—that yes, life is unfair, but you’re good. And though our hearts and our strength may fail, you are our strength and you are our portion forever—and you will never fail us.
We know that in time you will deal with every unrighteous person and every unrighteous act. And we thank you that but by the grace of God we would also be likewise judged. But thanks for your mercy, Lord.
Help us to make a difference in our world while we’re here—to help as many people come to know you as possible so that they too can be rescued from judgment, to experience eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.
And we can ask a lot of questions, Lord—but it’s best if we just rest in you and trust you even when life doesn’t make sense, Lord—to just lean on you and not our own understanding, but in all our ways to acknowledge you, and you will direct our paths.
You’re a loving, merciful God. You see all the terrible things, Lord—it must grieve your heart. And when it impacts us personally, we just need to lean on you, Lord, and trust you. You will deal with every injustice and every inequity in your time.
Until then, Lord, our citizenship is in heaven, and we keep our eyes on you. Help those, Lord, right now who are going through difficulties of their own. Help those who just feel really weighed down and burdened by the cares of this world—by things perhaps that have been committed against them. They would just release those things to you right now, Lord, and say: Lord, just take these things—take every offense, take every wrong, take every injustice. I just give it to you.
Thank you, Lord, for being our burden bearer—for paying the price for our sin. We cast our cares on you, Lord, and we trust you. In Jesus' name, and all God’s people said amen.