Lamentations

Original post: 5/11/07

A friend told me recently to add Lamentations to my list of daily Bible readings. It's a short book, only 5 chapters long, and a relatively easy read. The name of the book gives the reader a good idea of what's in the book. The friend specifically suggested chapter 3. After reading that chapter several times and finishing the book as a whole, here are the verses that struck me the most in chapter 3:

16 He has made my teeth grind on gravel,
and made me cower in ashes;
17 my soul is bereft of peace;
I have forgotten what happiness is;
18 so I say, "My endurance has perished;
so has my hope from the LORD."

19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
the wormwood and the gall!
20 My soul continually remembers it
and is bowed down within me.
21 But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:

22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."

25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
26 It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a man that he bear
the yoke in his youth.

28 Let him sit alone in silence
when it is laid on him;
29 let him put his mouth in the dust--
there may yet be hope;
30 let him give his cheek to the one who strikes,
and let him be filled with insults.

31 For the Lord will not
cast off forever,
32 but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
33 for he does not willingly afflict
or grieve the children of men.

37 Who has spoken and it came to pass,
unless the Lord has commanded it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that good and bad come?
39 Why should a living man complain,
a man, about the punishment of his sins?

40 Let us test and examine our ways,
and return to the LORD!
41 Let us lift up our hearts and hands
to God in heaven:
42 "We have transgressed and rebelled,
and you have not forgiven.

After reading these verses several times, I have felt a real kinship with the writer of Lamentations. My life lately has been the best example of how God will take away anything that I might us to try and prop myself up. He is jealous and will not stand to see us not relying on Him for strength. And just like the writer, I feel that, despite anything that may be going wrong in my life at the current moment, there is still hope that God will eventually take these situations away or fix them. But not until I have learned to rely on Him for the strength I need to carry on.

My faith has never been typified by emotion, but more by logic. And by "logic," I don't necessarily mean that my faith makes sense to me at all times. In fact, it is often counter to what I want. But for some reason, Christianity is what makes sense of the world and its events to me. I've often thought that, without some sort of outside governing, I probably wouldn't still be here. I think I probably would've done one too many stupid things and paid dearly for it. I know for a fact that Christianity gives me the only sensible explanation I can think of as to why deferred desire continues to be desirable and better when that desire is finally fulfilled.

But I have never felt filled with the Holy Spirit. I've never had a mountain-top experience that lasted more than about an hour (which usually get followed pretty immediately by a logical buckling down and taking care of the situation). That is just not my style of faith. I don't know if I will ever be fiery hot for God. But I pray that I am consistent in my faith. I pray that the people around me would see my life and notice that my faith never swayed, never faltered, never failed. I may question events in my life and wonder why they are happening, since they seem to go against what I feel is right or just, but I think when all is settled, I will be able to see God's hand driving every influence to work out every situation to His glory.

Your comments are most welcome.