Jeremiah 12 begins with a question many of us might ask: Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
His lament is honest. "You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts” (v. 2). The prophet is naming the frustration and anger we all feel when wrong seems to thrive while good struggles.
This week, we had another school shooting. Another day of loss, grief and heartbreak. Another day of asking Jeremiah’s question. And, once again, explanations. In years past, when people said we need to take mental health seriously, some scoffed and called it an excuse. Now, mental health is a prominent part of the discussion. But then we also say it's not a gun problem it's a problem of evil.
Sure. I agree.
But what if our evil is also our gun problem? What if our evil is refusing to take seriously what needs to be done, just because we don’t like it, or it doesn’t fit our politics or it requires us to change?
Evil isn’t only in the act of violence itself. Evil festers when we choose inaction. Evil spreads when we turn God’s call for justice into shallow words that never reach our hearts. Evil thrives when children keep dying, and we keep shrugging. 
God is not fooled. God sees where our hearts are. God knows when our words about prayer, faith, about “thoughts and prayers” are hollow. To seek the heart of God is to confront what we’d rather ignore. It’s to name evil, even when that evil looks like us refusing to change.
So, today, may Jeremiah’s lament become our prayer. May we stop making excuses. May we not just pray but repent. And may we have the courage to acknowledge the evil that hides in our comforts, our policies and our unwillingness to act before it takes more lives that God has entrusted to us.
Stay blessed...john | 
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