The book of Lamentations, written by the prophet Jeremiah after the ransacking of Jerusalem and the burning of its magnificent Temple in 587 BC by the Babylonian army, is a quite astonishing book. It is written in a beautiful, poetic style and its construction must have taken hours of work; yet its content is full of sorrow. All Jeremiah had prophesied had come to pass, but the prophet isn’t feeling vindicated; rather, the book expresses the intensity of his agony and the bitterness of his distress. “My eyes are worn out from weeping; I am churning within. My heart is poured out in grief because of the destruction of my dear people…” he mourns [2:11]. In fact, many of his descriptions of what was happening in Jerusalem could easily warrant the caution, “Some readers may find some of these scenes distressing!”
Chapter 3 is particularly focused around his personal suffering: “…he has weighed me down with chains,” he mourns, referring to Yahweh. “Even when I cry and plead for help, he blocks out my prayer…” [vv7-8]. The first twenty-one verses are brim-full of anguish and depression, and yet, suddenly, he bursts out, “The steadfast love of [Yahweh] never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” [vv22-23]. Most of us will be familiar with these wonderful verses, having sung them countless times. They have encouraged, comforted, and inspired us, but did we ever stop to think that they spilled out of the prophet when he was tormented by desolation and despair? Perhaps that is the very reason they are such a comfort? Jeremiah’s spiritual knowledge was such that, despite the awful circumstances, his heart was confident about Yahweh’s matchless faithfulness and ever-fresh, endless mercies.
Are you experiencing difficulty, heartache, disappointment, loss? Sometimes we feel as though we’re drowning in trouble! If, through the pain, we reach out to the One Whose compassion and mercy are renewed every morning, we will find Him to be good to us. He cannot fail, so though we may have to wait a while, we can trust the One “who acts on behalf of those who wait for him” [Isaiah 64:4].
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You Are The BranchesClick to see the whole passage:
1 timothy 3:16 NIV - Beyond all question, the mystery from - Bible Gateway
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