But
this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope
Lamentations
3:21
I purchased a new Bible this past week and in the back of it
is a reading guide. It is not your typical “read the Bible in a year” plan,
in that it has specific dates for specific passages. So rather than begin
reading this new Bible at the beginning, I began reading the Scriptures listed
for the date I received the Bible. Saturday morning, the portion I was to read
was from Lamentations.
Okay...let’s just start with that word.
What
comes to mind when you hear the word lamentations? The dictionary
defines the word “lamentations” as: the passionate expression of grief or
sorrow; weeping. The Hebrew word ekah which means “how?!” and
expresses dismay is used often in this book. The rabbis began to call the book
“loud cries” or “lamentations.” It’s a book assumed to be written by Jeremiah
after the fall of Jerusalem. One commentator said:
“Like Job,
Lamentations pictures a man of God puzzling over the results of evil and suffering
in the world. However, while Job dealt with unexplained evil, Jeremiah lamented a
tragedy entirely of Jerusalem’s making. The people of this once great city
experienced the judgment of the holy God, and the results were devastating.”
So my first thought as I began reading was not one of
excitement or encouragement. Here are a few examples from the first few
chapters:
“Look, O Lord, for I am in distress; my
stomach churns;
my heart is wrung
within me, because I have been very rebellious.
In the street the
sword bereaves; in the house it is like death” (1:20).
“How the Lord in His
anger has set the daughter of Zion under a cloud!
He has cast down from
heaven to earth the splendor of Israel;
He has not remembered
His footstool in the day of His anger” (2:1).
“The Lord has scorned
His altar, disowned His sanctuary;
He has delivered into
the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces;
they raised a clamor
in the house of the Lord as
on the day of festival” (2:7).
“My eyes are spent
with weeping; my stomach churns;
. . . because
of the destruction of the daughter of my people,
because infants and
babies faint in the streets of the city” (2:11).
“The Lord has done what He purposed; He
has carried out His word,
which He commanded
long ago; He has thrown down without pity;
He has made the
enemy rejoice over you and exalted the might of your foes” (2:17).
“He has walled me
about so that I cannot escape;
He has made my chains
heavy; though I call and cry for help
He shuts out my
prayer; He has blocked my ways with blocks of
stones;
He has made my
paths crooked” (3:7-9).
You get the idea… not a pleasant read. And even though the
people of God had brought this on themselves through their sin, I couldn’t help
but think of some of the things we ourselves are facing and having to live
through that are not necessarily of our own doing. Yes, our sin separates us
from God, but sometimes life just messes up and we find ourselves “lamenting”
to God: “Where are You? Why haven’t you rescued me? How long will You ignore
me?” Just read some of the Psalms David has written and you’ll see what I mean.
Psalm 13 is one of my favorites.
This past week has been especially difficult for my family
as we saw hope pulled out from under us. Some things we had been praying for
and working towards, hoping resolution would occur soon, we discovered were not
going to happen. And it was painful. And I lamented! I could definitely relate
to Lamentations 2:11, “My eyes are spent with weeping; my stomach churns…”
And Saturday morning when I was reading His Word and looking for peace and
encouragement, I get assigned Lamentations??? Seriously?!
But I persevered…and in His faithfulness, He spoke.
About
halfway through chapter 3, the author takes a breath and says:
But this I call to
mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of
the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my
soul,
“therefore I will hope in Him.”
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
to the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
Lamentations 3:21-26 (ESV)
This
is what the Lord spoke to me in these verses:
- Remember what He has already done;
already promised you.
- My hope is in Him and His Word
which is “yes” and “amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
- His love never ceases
and His mercies, not only will they never come to an
end, but they are new each and every morning!
- And then the reminder to wait
quietly for His answer and salvation.
God is so faithful!
Hope in the Lord
Wait on the Lord!
Rest in the Lord!
One
more encouragement, this time from Moses:
“Fear not, stand
firm, and see the salvation of the Lord,
which he will work
for you today.”
Exodus 14:13 (ESV)
‘Lena
Ehlert
Whispers
in Worship ©2014
