Lamentations 3:1-66; Hebrews 1:1-14; Psalm 102:1-28; Proverbs 26:21-22
"Because of the Lord's great love we are not
consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness....The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him" (Lam. 3:22-23, 25).
How can Jeremiah say this? How can this be the man who, only verses earlier, demands of God, "Should women eat their offspring? Should priest and prophet be killed? Young and old lie together in the dust,...slain in the day of your anger. You have slaughtered them without pity" (from Lam. 2:20-21). This is the man who can claim, with truthfulness, "[God] has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light; indeed, he has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long" (Lam. 3:2-3). Jeremiah describes his relationship with God as captivity (vs. 7-8), mauled prey (vs. 10-12), as "affliction and wandering, the bitterness and the gall" (vs. 19). Serious and seriously unhappy stuff.
How does Jeremiah get from point A (immediately above) to point B (his praises from the top of the page)? It's incredible that the same man could have written these very disparate words. Bear in mind, too, that Jeremiah is likely overlooking the destruction of Jerusalem as he composes his lament; the devastation and depression must have been overwhelmingly before him. How is this possible?
"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope" (Lam. 3:21). Beautiful as those familiar verses from the beginning of this post are, I think these words are more remarkable. These show us how Jeremiah moved from despair to faith. To put it simply, he chose to do so. He tells himself truth - "I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion" (vs. 24) - and decides to live into that statement. "Therefore I will wait for him." Because God is his and he is God's, he can wait in confidence. Grief and loss and pain, yes, but certainty and trust, too.
"It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord" (vs. 26), Jeremiah repeats. He reminds himself of his position as a created being. He is not God. Nor am I. Who am I to demand answers of God? Who am I to expect him to act according to my timeline, in line with my desires? Who am I to tell God what to do and what not to do? If God brought heartbreak to this man, Jeremiah, who lived faithfully before him, why not to me? So many times, I ask, "Why me?" when perhaps, "Why not me?" is an equally valid question. Instead of filling the empty space of prayer with the noise of my applications and expectations, what about waiting quietly for the salvation of the Lord? Choosing to acknowledge my inability. Remembering the great and total salvation from sin. Proclaiming to myself and others that God is making all things new, in his time.
"The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for him." Amen.
How can Jeremiah say this? How can this be the man who, only verses earlier, demands of God, "Should women eat their offspring? Should priest and prophet be killed? Young and old lie together in the dust,...slain in the day of your anger. You have slaughtered them without pity" (from Lam. 2:20-21). This is the man who can claim, with truthfulness, "[God] has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light; indeed, he has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long" (Lam. 3:2-3). Jeremiah describes his relationship with God as captivity (vs. 7-8), mauled prey (vs. 10-12), as "affliction and wandering, the bitterness and the gall" (vs. 19). Serious and seriously unhappy stuff.
How does Jeremiah get from point A (immediately above) to point B (his praises from the top of the page)? It's incredible that the same man could have written these very disparate words. Bear in mind, too, that Jeremiah is likely overlooking the destruction of Jerusalem as he composes his lament; the devastation and depression must have been overwhelmingly before him. How is this possible?
"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope" (Lam. 3:21). Beautiful as those familiar verses from the beginning of this post are, I think these words are more remarkable. These show us how Jeremiah moved from despair to faith. To put it simply, he chose to do so. He tells himself truth - "I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion" (vs. 24) - and decides to live into that statement. "Therefore I will wait for him." Because God is his and he is God's, he can wait in confidence. Grief and loss and pain, yes, but certainty and trust, too.
"It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord" (vs. 26), Jeremiah repeats. He reminds himself of his position as a created being. He is not God. Nor am I. Who am I to demand answers of God? Who am I to expect him to act according to my timeline, in line with my desires? Who am I to tell God what to do and what not to do? If God brought heartbreak to this man, Jeremiah, who lived faithfully before him, why not to me? So many times, I ask, "Why me?" when perhaps, "Why not me?" is an equally valid question. Instead of filling the empty space of prayer with the noise of my applications and expectations, what about waiting quietly for the salvation of the Lord? Choosing to acknowledge my inability. Remembering the great and total salvation from sin. Proclaiming to myself and others that God is making all things new, in his time.
"The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for him." Amen.
- Sarah Marsh
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Beautiful post, Sarah. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYes, such great truth and encouragement.
ReplyDeleteThanks, ladies! Jeremiah is amazing.
ReplyDelete