Daily Bible Reading
Today’s Devotion by Jake Ballard (IN)
Yesterday, we focused on getting ourselves situated in Lamentations, a book of sorrow that shows us how to speak to God in our anger, sorrow, and loss.
Today, we see that when we take the time to open up to God and work through our suffering we can see it from various angles. In chapter one, the author (probably Jeremiah) gives Jerusalem herself a voice so that she speaks to God. She cries out to God in the midst of the judgement that she is suffering (1:15) and asks him to forgive her and vindicate her (1:20-22). Chapter two continues in much of the same way. The anger of God covers Jerusalem and that is why she is being destroyed (2:1). The people have sought false prophets and false visions (2:14). The people recognize that they have turned away from God, but they ask the Lord to look and see their distress (2:20). Essentially they recognize they deserve what they are receiving, and still ask the good God they know for mercy.
In chapter three, it isn’t about the pain of the city, or the voice of Jerusalem. The author begins to write from the first person perspective: I, me, and my. “I have seen affliction” (3:1) and “God turns his hand against me” (3:3). More than ever before, we could wear the shoes of the author and walk in them. We can understand the pain when we read about it in the first person. Maybe we have felt that the chains of our life are heavy (3:7-9) or that God has gone to war against our bodies (3:4-6). We have felt like we are being hunted down by wild animals, or that we are the wild animal fleeing a hunter (3:10-15). For Jeremiah, this was being attacked by armies, but for us anxieties, depression, gossip, relationships breaking; they feel like we are being hunted down and destroyed. That is why Lamentations 2:11a can hit so close to home “My eyes fail because of tears, My spirit is greatly troubled; My heart is poured out on the earth …” We suffer a different situation than Jeremiah, but the despair of the heart is the same.
Which is why portions of chapter three are so wonderful. After all this despair, all this heart break, some deserved, so much senseless, the author can remind us that the love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never end, they are new every morning. In the midst of suffering, reading about terror and destruction, it is good to be reminded that “Great is your faithfulness” (3:22-23). The Lord is good (3:25) and we will not be cast away from his goodness forever (3:31).
Let me give you some bad news. You and everyone you know will, at some point, suffer.
Let me give you some good news. You and everyone you know is able to rest in the strength and power of God. You are able to give him your suffering, even when if feels like too much, and he is willing and able to hold it.
If you are not currently suffering, chances are you know someone who is. Give them grace, and remind them that God loves them. Do this gently, finding the right moment. Allow God to control your words and the timing. Allow them to feel the goodness of the Lord and to feel his mercies that are new every morning.
If you are currently suffering, let me be the first to remind you that God has not abandoned you forever. As Lamentations 3:31-32 says “For the Lord will not reject forever, for if He causes grief, then He will have compassion according to His abundant lovingkindness.” [NASB] For those who place their hope in Jesus Christ, the suffering of this life is swallowed up forever in eternal joy and life and peace.
For all of us, let me ask you a difficult question: what sins do you need to repent of and renounce? The author of Lamentations believed, deeply, that it was the sin of Jerusalem and Judah that led to God’s judgement, sins that were greater than Sodom. (4:6). I say this next sentence with sorrow and fear: If you are living in a way that is against the life of God, you might be causing your own suffering and are living without hope. Not every suffering we experience is judgement from God. Yet Lamentations shows that some suffering is. I ask you to consider your ways, to repent, and to turn back to God so that his blessings may be on your life.
Reflection Questions
- As Jake asked, “What sins do you need to repent of and renounce?” What are even natural consequences of these sins?
- What is your current “suffering level”? Are you at a place where you feel you need to hear these words right now, or is there someone you need to share these words with?
- Having the proper mindset before a suffering phase begins is also helpful. What are words of wisdom that you can build into your mindset (and into your children) when the sun is shining?
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father – You are a good God. And all Your ways are just and right. Thank You for giving us Your Son to show us how to live, and also to offer us the only way to live with You through forgiveness of our sins. Thank You for being with me on sunny days and dark days. May I learn from Your discipline and draw closer to You. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.
