July 14, 2026 Devo

A few years back, a couple of buddies in Great Britain hit the jackpot. They won almost five and a half million dollars in the lottery! You would think that people would be happy for two friends having such a stroke of good luck. But they weren’t. People were upset. These two “buddies” were actually a couple of career criminals who met in prison, then won the lottery while out on parole. If anyone DIDN’T deserve good fortune like this, it was them. It just didn’t seem fair.
Does it ever really annoy you when good things happen to bad people? It did Jeremiah. People in his hometown are threatening him for speaking God’s truth. He’s being persecuted, bullied, and abused. Meanwhile, the hypocrites who are causing him so much harm seem to keep on prospering. It was frustrating Jeremiah to death.
But Jeremiah was making the same mistake we often make. We take the short view rather than the long view. We want immediate reward and justice. God wants us to trust the process. Yes, those who are evil will win some battles. Yes, those who are unjust and ungodly will sometimes gain some ground and get ahead. Yes, those who seek God wholeheartedly will experience times of disappointment, heartache, and even defeat. It’s the way of things in this world. However, evil having moments of triumph doesn’t mean it will ultimately prevail. It won’t. And just because some people seem to escape justice now, it doesn’t mean that justice won’t eventually occur. It will. What Jeremiah has to trust, and what we have to hold onto, is that God is at work and He will make all things right in His time. Trust His timing. Trust His Sovereignty. Trust His Grace and His Justice.
Remember those two criminals who won the lottery? Turns out they bought that winning lottery ticket with an ATM card that they had stolen from someone. Instead of receiving a couple of million dollars each, they both got sentenced to prison again and had to forfeit their winnings. Shortcuts never pay off in the long run, and justice will ultimately prevail. In this life or in the next. Take the long view. That’s God’s Word for you today.