Jeremiah 12 opens with one of the most honest prayers found in Scripture. Jeremiah looks at the world around him and asks God a question many of us have wrestled with: “Why does the way of the wicked prosper?”
He sees people who reject God, yet seem to flourish, grow wealthy, and live without consequences. Their lives appear stable and rooted, at least from the outside. Jeremiah describes them as “planted,” taking root and bearing fruit, yet their hearts are far from God. They say the right words, but their affection is empty.
I have experienced this myself. In real estate, I once worked with a very wealthy man who owned multiple boats and expensive possessions. Outwardly, he appeared successful and morally clean. He didn’t curse, dressed well, and spoke politely. But behind closed doors, I watched him speak harshly to his own family and treat others poorly. I served him with excellence — doing open houses, educating him on contracts, and working hard for him — yet he could be kind one moment and begin yelling the next. Jeremiah’s frustration suddenly became relatable; it can be deeply discouraging when people who seem far from God are the ones prospering.
But outward prosperity is not blessing. Jesus says, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his soul?” (Mark 8:36). Wealth, possessions, and status can create the illusion of success, yet hide spiritual emptiness. God invites us to bring that tension to Him. Jeremiah is not rebuked for his honesty. Like Job, David, and countless others in Scripture, he pours out his heart authentically. We should do the same. God already knows what’s in us; honesty doesn’t inform Him, it transforms us.
What makes Jeremiah 12 remarkable is God’s response. He doesn’t pat Jeremiah on the head and say, “There, there, everything will be fine.” Instead, God challenges him: “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses?” God is essentially saying, “Jeremiah, do not interpret difficulty as failure. This is training.” When I swam competitively, my dad would always say, “Give it 110%.” I never understood how you could give more than everything until I experienced that moment when your body cannot go one more stroke — and then something inside you pushes beyond your own strength. There comes a point where endurance is not physical anymore, it is spiritual. That is what God is teaching Jeremiah. Hardship is not punishment. It is preparation.
God even tells Jeremiah that the opposition will intensify, and at times, will come from those closest to him. Jeremiah experiences betrayal from his own friends. I’ve felt that too — moments when people you expected support from were absent or indifferent. Sometimes it is not open opposition that wounds us; sometimes it is silence. Yet even in this, God is shaping endurance. He allows us to face what feels overwhelming because He is preparing us for greater assignments. We think difficulty is evidence that God is far away, when in reality, difficulty is the evidence that God is refining us. He doesn’t lower the bar. He strengthens our stride.
The next verses (Jeremiah 12:7–13) reveal something equally unexpected. God Himself begins to lament. He mourns the spiritual state of His people. His words are not cold or detached; they are drenched in emotion: “I have forsaken My house… My beloved has turned against Me.” Here we see the heart of God.
He is not an impersonal force in the sky; He feels deeply. He experiences grief. He desires intimacy with His people. His discipline is never rooted in anger but in love. It is the love of a Father whose children have run from Him. This challenges the stereotype that God is distant or unemotional. Scripture portrays Him as sympathetic and deeply connected to our pain. He wants what is best for His people, even when His path of correction is misunderstood.
The final verses of Jeremiah 12 (14–17) end with a surprising twist, hope. God not only promises restoration for Israel, but He extends an invitation to the nations surrounding them, including those who opposed His people. He says that if they will turn and learn His ways, He will “build them up in the midst of My people.” The heart of God is always redemption. He does not give up on prodigals, rebels, or outcasts. His love reaches to the undeserving, and His grace makes room for those who were once enemies. His posture is always restorative: “Come home, and I will rebuild you.”
This passage speaks to anyone navigating discouragement, spiritual exhaustion, or confusion. In our Bible study recently, a man shared that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, even though he never smoked or drank a day in his life. He described how, at first, the diagnosis felt like a nightmare — overwhelming and terrifying. Then something shifted in his spirit. He said, “No… God, You are in control. For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” He spoke with confidence, not in himself, but in his relationship with Jesus. His peace was not rooted in circumstances, but in surrender.
Jeremiah 12 reminds us that God welcomes our honesty, strengthens our endurance, and gives hope even when circumstances don’t make sense. When the wicked prosper, when life feels unfair, when fatigue sets in, God is not telling us to quit. He is telling us to keep going. Do not interpret the difficulty of the race as a sign you are losing, it is preparation for running with horses.
May we trust Him in the footraces today, so that we will be ready for the horses tomorrow.
Amen.
Conform to Jesus 
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