The author of Lamentations was most likely Jeremiah, and it was probably written during the exile in Babylon. This book reminds me of many of David’s psalms because in the midst of the author’s complaint against God, he finds hope in God’s faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:1-20—Have you felt afflicted by the LORD as Jeremiah did? Remember God had called Jeremiah to be His spokesman to the kings of rebellious Judah. It just doesn’t seem fair that Jeremiah had to endure such hardship as a servant of God, does it? Look at the description he gives to his suffering: wrath, driven away, turned against me again and again, broken, besieged, bitterness, weighed down, dragged, mangled, made me a target, pierced my heart, laughingstock, mocked, trampled, deprived, forgotten, downcast. In verse 8, he even says God had shut out his prayers. In our society of prosperity gospel preaching, it just doesn’t compute that a man of God would have to suffer so much. However, the pattern of God’s calling is a life of difficulty, not one of ease. As long as we are not living in rebellion, we should welcome trouble as a sign that satan is fighting hard against our message of salvation to the world. Those who are highly favored by God should expect tribulation on earth. Do not let your mockers intimidate you or prevent you from spreading the Good News. Stand firm to the end. Be faithful in prayer for those who need eternal salvation.
Lamentations 3:21-26—There is hope! Our God is a loving, compassionate, faithful LORD. He is good to those who seek Him; so we should wait quietly for His salvation. There it is again, my friend Melissa will say. “Wait on the LORD.” Does any of this make sense to you? Why would Jeremiah say God is good after he had recounted all the danger God put him through? I’m not sure I can truly describe my hope in God, especially to someone who has never trusted Him. The following words are synonyms of hope: trust, faith, belief, conviction, confidence, expectation, reliance, dependence. Because God has always provided for me and because I can look back at every trial in my life and see how He blessed me in the end, I can say that I rely and depend on God. I have confidence in Him, and I expect that He will continue to be faithful to guard my life. I can say with conviction, with certainty that I believe and trust in God as my eternal Savior. He is my only hope for salvation, and I have placed my faith in Him. I realize the futility in trying to humanly persuade someone to believe in God. Only the Holy Spirit can convict a soul to rely on the Holy Invisible Creator of the Universe. That thought should drive us to our knees in prayer for our lost friends and family.
Lamentations 3:27-38—Jeremiah actually says it is a good thing for a man to face hardship when he is young. Do you agree? I think we can all look at our lives and see how much we grow during trials. Without them, would we ever gain maturity? If you protect your children from every consequence and give them everything they ask for, will they grow to be responsible adults? Probably not. God uses both calamities and good things to bring about His will in our lives.
Lamentations 3:39-51—When our hardship comes as punishment for sins, we should examine our ways and return to the LORD. When we live in sin, God “covers Himself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through.” (vs. 44) I hear people say that their prayers bounce off the ceiling. When you feel that God is not listening, then search your heart and ask forgiveness of the things the Holy Spirit points out to you as sin. None of us are without some sin that prevents God from working freely in our lives.
Lamentations 3:52-66—The author ends this chapter with complaints about his enemies, and he begs God to uphold his cause. “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief. O Lord, you took up my case; you redeemed my life.” (vs. 56, 58) My encouragement to you is always to keep the door of communication open between you and the Father. Keep your case before His throne daily. I jokingly say that it is my fault if Trent ever forgets my birthday or our anniversary; so I start reminding him of the dates weeks in advance. Well, let the same be true of your relationship with God. It is my fault if God ever should forget me. I take it as my responsibility to call His Name every moment of my day. He knows my name, and He remembers my cause.
Yep, I was going to say, "There is is again!" Lam. 3:24 "The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for him. I'm starting to wonder what it means if you hear it more than 3 times. I'm seriously trying to wait on Him. Maybe He's continually encouraging me to keep waiting and to not give up. I'm so head strong on some things that lesson's have to be "beat" into me. God knows how I am! Amen, He knows how we all are and what we need. He is a God we can never possibly fully understand everything about Him. Thank goodness! I'm thankful I have a God who doesn't just sit on my shelf and collect dust! I'm thankful we have a loving God who knows every inch of us and every part of our heart!
ReplyDeleteYes, when we face trials, we need to immediately begin asking God what He wants us to learn. I don't want to have to go through the same lesson twice.
ReplyDeleteI just learned about the Jewish custom of repeating things three times. The Jewish priest did not raise his voice or use body language to get his point across, he repeated the message three times.
ReplyDeleteDana,
I agree with you we need to keep God in remembrance of us. In Isaiah 43:25-26 God tells us to put Him in remembrance of His promises to us and His forgiveness through Jesus.
Thanks for your comments, girls! Mimi, I'm glad you researched the history of repeating three times for emphasis. Not only to difficult lessons come in threes, but God can also reassure us of His goodness in threes. That's what I'm keeping my eyes open for today!
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