Jeremiah 12:4
“How long do we have to put up with this— the country depressed, the farms in ruin— And all because of wickedness, these wicked lives? Even animals and birds are dying off because they’ll have nothing to do with God and think God has nothing to do with them.”
“How long must this land mourn? Even the grass in the fields has withered. The wild animals and birds have disappeared because of the evil in the land. For the people have said, ‘The LORD doesn’t see what’s ahead for us!”
Jeremiah’s complaint continues. He paints a picture of ecological collapse due to the wickedness of the ruling class. Moral wickedness always leads to abuse of God’s good world. Greed and poor stewardship of Judah’s land is bearing terrible, heart-breaking fruit. But the land remains after humans are long dead and God has built amazing resilience into it. It will recover. Judah would not.
Lord, thank you for your good gift of our natural world. It’s beauty is breathtaking. May our attempts to protect it, regardless the motive, be effective. Help us learn to manage this enchanting world well, taking what is needed today yet protecting it for future generations. It reflects your glory and I want to honor you in caring for it.