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Day 257 Jeremiah 14:10 Thus says the LORD to this people: “Thus they have loved to wander. They have not restrained their feet. Therefore, the LORD does not accept them; He will remember their iniquity now and punish their sins.” 11 Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for this people, for their good. 12 “When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.” Have you wondered why bad things happen to you? Do you do whatever you please and find no satisfaction? Judah turned away from God and served idols. They did whatever their heart desired. To placate their actions, they sought prophets who would tickle their itching ears so they could go their way, doing what they desired without regret. God told Jeremiah not to pray for them. He told him He would not hear their prayers. God also told Jeremiah the prophets the people listened to would come to destruction because He did not send them. Jeremiah 14:15 “Therefore, thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name, whom I did not send, and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not be in this land’ — ‘By sword and famine, those prophets shall be consumed! 16 ‘And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; they will have no one to bury them—them nor their wives, their sons nor their daughters—for I will pour their wickedness on them.” As Christians, you tell yourself you are not like the world around you. You become Pharisaical by nature, seeing yourself above the people around you. Your prayers sound like this: Luke 18:10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all I possess.’ Do you list your accomplishments to God when you pray? God told Jeremiah the people reveled in their wickedness and saw nothing wrong with it. They didn’t account for their actions before God but felt justified in everything they did. Consider your lifestyle. Who benefits most from it? You, right? Do you give God praise for what you have? Remember, you could lose everything in a moment. Natural disasters not only claim lives, but they also claim possessions—homes, everything they own—forever gone. Then what do you do? Hang your head and cry for your possessions? Judah’s lifestyle left them panting for more. Greed became a way of life, and still is a way of life. God told Jeremiah not to pray for people who thought only of themselves and turned from God in everything they did. If you are like Judah, doing your own thing without thought or regard for anyone else, stop and remember your commitment to God when you accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. Remember your promise to read your Bible, pray, and seek out other believers so you could grow in faith. Confess your sin so God can forgive you. Then begin anew, praising God for everything you have. Then God will hear your prayers. Let’s pray: Father, I am a sinner. I forget to give You praise for all You do for me. Forgive me. Help me see Your hand on my life and praise You for all You give me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 26 February 2022 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay.