The passage

1You are always righteous, 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? 2You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts. 3Yet you know me, 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!

Also referenced today

The shape of the message

1. Jeremiah’s complaint about injustice and the prosperity of the wicked
2. God’s call to trust His right judgement rather than demand explanations
3. The race imagery: harder service ahead and why hardship matures God’s servants
4. Choosing growth through change and saying yes to God’s prompting
5. Judgement on a hardened people and the images of mourning land and a speckled bird
6. God’s use of nations, covenant faithfulness, and an open door to the Gentiles

Questions to hold while you listen

• Where do you most resonate with Jeremiah’s question about why the wicked seem to prosper, and what does it look like to bring that complaint to God rather than against Him?
• What is the difference between asking “How can I get out of this?” and “What can I get out of this?” in your current challenge?
• What change are you resisting that may be tied to growth—physically, mentally, or spiritually—and what would it look like to stay in the race?
• Where do you feel like a “speckled bird” right now, and how might that be part of standing with God rather than a sign you’ve failed?
• What is something you sense God prompting you to do (go, give, serve, support, enrol, lead, teach, forgive, trust), and what would a simple “Yes, Lord” step look like this week?

Notes

This week

Say “Yes, Lord” to the specific thing you’ve been hesitating about—go, give, do, serve, support, enrol, lead, teach, forgive, or trust again. Treat the discomfort as training rather than a signal to stop.