relationships (Lamentations 3:1-66) Seeking and Waiting

(Lamentations 3:1-66)

1 I am the man who has seen misery 
     Because of the rod of His wrath.
2 He has driven me and made me walk 
     In darkness and not in light.
3 Indeed, He has turned His hand against me 
     Repeatedly all the day.
4 He has consumed my flesh and my skin,
     He has broken my bones.
5 He has besieged and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 He has made me live in dark places,
     Like those who have long been dead.
7 He has walled me in so that I cannot go out;
     He has made my chain heavy.
8 Even when I cry out and call for help,
     He shuts out my prayer.
9 He has blocked my ways with cut stone;
     He has twisted my paths.
10 He is to me like a bear lying in wait,
     Like a lion in secret places.
11 He has made my ways deviate, and torn me to pieces;
     He has made me desolate.
12 He bent His bow 
     And took aim at me as a target for the arrow.
13 He made the arrows of His quiver 
     Enter my inward parts.
14 I have become a laughingstock to all my people,
     Their song of ridicule all the day.
15 He has filled me with bitterness,
     He has made me drink plenty of wormwood.
16 He has also made my teeth grind with gravel;
     He has made me cower in the dust.
17 My soul has been excluded from peace;
     I have forgotten happiness.
18 So I say, “My strength has failed,
     And so has my hope from the Lord.”

19 Remember my misery and my homelessness, the wormwood and bitterness.
20 My soul certainly remembers,
     And is bent over within me.
21 I recall this to my mind,
     Therefore I wait.
22 The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end,
     For His compassions do not fail.
23 They are new every morning;
     Great is Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
     “Therefore I wait for Him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who await Him,
     To the person who seeks Him.
26 It is good that he waits silently 
     For the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear 
     The yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and keep quiet,
     Since He has laid it on him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust;
     Perhaps there is hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to the one who is going to strike him;
     Let him be filled with shame.
31 For the Lord will not reject forever,
32 For if He causes grief,
     Then He will have compassion 
     In proportion to His abundant mercy.
33 For He does not afflict willingly 
     Or grieve the sons of mankind.
34 To crush under one’s feet 
     All the prisoners of the land,
35 To deprive a man of justice 
     In the presence of the Most High,
36 To defraud someone in his lawsuit—
     Of these things the Lord does not approve.
37 Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass,
     Unless the Lord has commanded it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High 
     That both adversity and good proceed?

39 Of what can any living mortal, or any man,
     Complain in view of his sins?
40 Let’s examine and search out our ways,
     And let’s return to the Lord.
41 We raise our heart and hands 
     Toward God in heaven;
42 We have done wrong and rebelled;
     You have not pardoned.
43 You have covered Yourself with anger 
     And pursued us;
     You have slain and have not spared.
44 You have veiled Yourself with a cloud 
     So that no prayer can pass through.
45 You have made us mere refuse and rubbish 
     In the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
47 Panic and pitfall have come upon us,
     Devastation and destruction;
48 My eyes run down with streams of water 
     Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes flow unceasingly,
     Without stopping,
50 Until the Lord looks down 
     And sees from heaven.
51 My eyes bring pain to my soul 
     Because of all the daughters of my city.
52 My enemies without reason 
     Hunted me down like a bird;
53 They have silenced me in the pit 
     And have thrown stones on me.
54 Waters flowed over my head;
     I said, “I am cut off!”
55 I called on Your name, Lord,
     Out of the lowest pit.
56 You have heard my voice,
     “Do not cover Your ear from my plea for relief,
     From my cry for help.”
57 You came near on the day I called to You;
     You said, “Do not fear!”
58 Lord, You have pleaded my soul’s cause;
     You have redeemed my life.
59 Lord, You have seen my oppression;
     Judge my case.
60 You have seen all their vengeance,
     All their schemes against me.
61 You have heard their reproach, Lord,
     All their schemes against me.
62 The lips of my assailants and their talk
     Are against me all day long.
63 Look at their sitting and their rising;
     I am their mocking song.
64 You will repay them, Lord,
     In accordance with the work of their hands.
65 You will give them shamelessness of heart,
     Your curse will be on them.
66 You will pursue them in anger and eliminate them 
     From under the heavens of the Lord!

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

When we sin, we will experience discomfort in our souls.  As believers, when we sin, we grieve the Holy Spirit.  And as unbelievers, as sinners, one should feel shame.  It doesn't really do anyone any good to just fix the problems around them, or to be told that they're okay just the way they are.  There is more hope for an unbeliever who is struggling, if they come to a point of realizing just how miserable they are in their separation from the Lord.  The only hope and cure is to repent, and accept the free gift of salvation through Jesus, which reconciles us to God, so that we can have and enjoy a close, personal relationship with Him.

As believers, we need to remember that sin impedes prayer (verse 8).  It is good to search our hearts and minds and recognize when we have sinned, in order to confess.  Doubting is okay, as long as we take our questions to the Lord and look into His word in order to find His answers, because they are there!  The Lord and His word contains every answer to every possible question we could ever have.  And if and when we ever lose faith or trust, we can pray to the Lord, "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief."  And if we ever think that the Lord doesn't love us or care for us anymore, remember that His suffering and death on the cross is the ultimate proof we need that He does care and love us, and He will never stop caring or loving us!

As believers, there isn't anything we can do or not do to lose our salvation because the Lord is faithful;  but we can certainly experience the Lord's discipline through consequences.  It is our thinking and actions that can put distance between us and the Lord!  But He is always right there for us, and never lets go!  And even though we do not deserve His mercy or His grace, when we reconcile with Him, He is more than pleased!  All that He wants is to love us, and that we love Him back.  The Lord is so good to those who seek Him and wait for Him.

relationships (Lamentations 2:1-22) True Beauty and Joy

(Lamentations 2:1-22)

1   How the Lord has covered the daughter of Zion 
     With a cloud in His anger!
     He has hurled 
     The glory of Israel from heaven to earth,
     And has not remembered His footstool 
     In the day of His anger.
2   The Lord has destroyed; He has not spared 
     All the settlements of Jacob.
     In His wrath He has overthrown 
     The strongholds of the daughter of Judah,
     He has hurled them down to the ground;
     He has profaned the kingdom and its leaders.
3   In fierce anger He has cut off 
     All the strength of Israel;
     He has pulled back His right hand 
     From the enemy.
     And He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire 
     Consuming on all sides.
4   He has bent His bow like an enemy;
     His right hand is positioned like an adversary,
     And He has killed everything that was pleasant to the eye.
     In the tent of the daughter of Zion 
     He has poured out His wrath like fire.
5   The Lord has become like an enemy.
     He has engulfed Israel;
     He has engulfed all its palaces,
     He has destroyed its strongholds 
     And caused great mourning and grieving in the daughter of Judah.
6   And He has treated His tabernacle violently, like a despised garden;
     He has destroyed His appointed meeting place.
     The Lord has caused 
     The appointed feast and Sabbath in Zion to be forgotten,
     And He has despised king and priest 
     In the indignation of His anger.
7   The Lord has rejected His altar,
     He has repudiated His sanctuary;
     He has handed over 
     The walls of her palaces to the enemy.
     They have made a noise in the house of the Lord 
     As on the day of an appointed feast.
8   The Lord determined to destroy 
     The wall of the daughter of Zion.
     He has stretched out a line,
     He has not restrained His hand from destroying,
     And He has caused rampart and wall to mourn;
     They have languished together.
9   Her gates have sunk into the ground,
     He has destroyed and broken her bars.
     Her king and her leaders are among the nations;
     The Law is gone.
     Her prophets, too, find 
     No vision from the Lord.
10 The elders of the daughter of Zion 
     Sit on the ground and are silent.
     They have thrown dust on their heads;
     They have put on sackcloth.
     The virgins of Jerusalem 
     Have bowed their heads to the ground.
11 My eyes fail because of tears,
     My spirit is greatly troubled;
     My heart is poured out on the earth 
     Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people,
     When little ones and infants languish 
     In the streets of the city.
12 They say to their mothers,
     “Where is grain and wine?”
     As they faint like a wounded person 
     In the streets of the city,
     As their lives are poured out 
     In their mothers’ arms.
13 How shall I admonish you?
     What shall I compare to you,
     Daughter of Jerusalem?
     What shall I liken to you as I comfort you,
     Virgin daughter of Zion?
     For your collapse is as vast as the sea;
     Who can heal you?
14 Your prophets have seen for you 
     Worthless and deceptive visions;
     And they have not exposed your wrongdoing 
     So as to restore you from captivity,
     But they have seen for you worthless and misleading pronouncements.
15 All who pass along the way 
     Clap their hands in ridicule at you;
     They hiss and shake their heads 
     At the daughter of Jerusalem:
     “Is this the city of which they said,
     ‘Perfect in beauty,
     A joy to all the earth’?”
16 All your enemies 
     Have opened their mouths wide against you;
     They hiss and gnash their teeth.
     They say, “We have engulfed her!
     This certainly is the day which we awaited;
     We have reached it, we have seen it!”
17 The Lord has done what He determined;
     He has accomplished His word 
     Which He commanded from days of old.
     He has torn down without sparing,
     And He has helped the enemy to rejoice over you;
     He has exalted the might of your adversaries.
18 Their heart cried out to the Lord:
     “You wall of the daughter of Zion,
     Let your tears stream down like a river day and night;
     Give yourself no relief,
     Let your eyes have no rest.
19 Arise, whimper in the night 
     At the beginning of the night watches;
     Pour out your heart like water 
     Before the presence of the Lord;
     Raise your hands to Him 
     For the life of your little ones 
     Who languish because of hunger 
     At the head of every street.
20 See, Lord, and look!
     With whom have You dealt this way?
     Should women really eat their children,
     The little ones who were born healthy?
     Should priest and prophet really be killed 
     In the sanctuary of the Lord?
21 On the ground in the streets
     Lie young and old;
     My virgins and my young men 
     Have fallen by the sword.
     You have put them to death on the day of Your anger,
     You have slaughtered, without sparing.
22 You called as on the day of an appointed feast 
     My terrors on every side;
     And there was no one who survived or escaped
     On the day of the Lord’s anger.
     As for those whom I brought forth healthy and whom I raised,
     My enemy annihilated them.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

I have a friend who is not a believer, who strives to be very compassionate and loving, sweet and kind, in her own strength, efforts and belief system.  She believes in a god of her own design, who is "loving" in such a way that everyone will go to "heaven".  No one is really bad.  But any time the discussion goes to the bad state of society, or the struggles that someone is going through - somehow - the Church and Christians are always at fault, and they need to be punished!  If anyone deserved to go to hell, it would be the Christians.  So when any church or Christian leader is in the news about how they have failed, she gloats.  And I don't think she really hears herself saying any of this.

When people consider their own "good works", which they compare to other people's failings, they can become more prideful and self-righteous, believing that they have the power and all the answers.  Meanwhile, as it says in James 1:17, "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."  

Salvation is only from the Lord, and only in salvation will we experience the fullness of God's goodness.  Yes, unbelievers will experience some goodness.  And yes, believers will go through struggles.  And if someone sins and seems to get away with it, we can see in verse 3 how God can, at times, decide to not restrain evil.  But He has His reasons!  And one day, He will bring about complete justice and establish perfect peace here on earth.  One day!  

Meanwhile, the Lord has much work to do, and He desires that we be part of His plan.  All we need is a humble and willing heart, and the Lord will work for us, in us and through us.  Verse 16 shows how the enemies thought they had engulfed Israel because of their own strength.  But if Israel had been obedient, the outcome would have been different.  Instead, the Israelites deceived themselves with false and worthless visions in order to believe in a god of their own design, and do things in their own strength, in their own way.

God's desire is for Israel, as well as all believers, to be perfect in beauty and a joy to all the earth (verse 15).  He can and will restrain evil to protect us, although there will be times of struggle in order to test us and/or discipline us.  Whatever the reason, our response should be to search our hearts and repent when applicable, and always continue to draw closer to the Lord in a personal relationship, and continue striving to abide in His will, His strength, and His truth.

(Matthew 5:43-48) “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors, do they not do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Even the Gentiles, do they not do the same? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

relationships (Lamentations 1:1-22) Who Knows Best?

(Lamentations 1:1-22) 

How lonely sits the city 

     That once had many people!
     She has become like a widow 
     Who was once great among the nations!
     She who was a princess among the provinces 
     Has become a forced laborer!
2   She weeps bitterly in the night,
     And her tears are on her cheeks;
     She has no one to comfort her 
     Among all her lovers.
     All her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
     They have become her enemies.
3   Judah has gone into exile out of affliction 
     And harsh servitude;
     She lives among the nations,
     But she has not found a resting place;
     All those who pursued her have overtaken her 
     In the midst of distress.
4   The roads of Zion are in mourning 
     Because no one comes to an appointed feast.
     All her gates are deserted;
     Her priests groan,
     Her virgins are worried,
     And as for Zion herself, it is bitter for her.
5   Her adversaries have become her masters,
     Her enemies are secure;
     For the Lord has caused her grief
     Because of the multitude of her wrongdoings;
     Her little ones have gone away 
     As captives led by the enemy.
6   All of her splendor 
     Is gone from the daughter of Zion;
     Her leaders have become like deer 
     That have found no pasture,
     And they have fled without strength 
     From the pursuer.
7   In the days of her affliction and homelessness 
     Jerusalem remembers all her treasures 
     That were hers since the days of old,
     When her people fell into the hand of the adversary 
     And no one helped her.
     The adversaries saw her,
     They laughed at her ruin.
8   Jerusalem sinned greatly,
     Therefore she has become an object of ridicule.
     All who honored her despise her 
     Because they have seen her nakedness;
     Even she herself groans and turns away.
9   Her uncleanness was in her garment’s seams;
     She did not think of her future.
     So she has fallen in an astonishing way;
     She has no comforter.
     “See, Lord, my affliction,
     For the enemy has honored himself!”
10 The adversary has stretched out his hand 
     Over all her precious things,
     For she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary,
     The ones whom You commanded 
     That they were not to enter Your congregation.
11 All her people groan, seeking bread;
     They have given their treasures for food 
     To restore their lives.
     “See, Lord, and look,
     For I am despised.”
12 “Is it nothing to all you who pass this way?
     Look and see if there is any pain like my pain 
     Which was inflicted on me,
     With which the Lord tormented me on the day of His fierce anger.
13 From the height He sent fire into my bones,
     And it dominated them.
     He has spread a net for my feet;
     He has turned me back;
     He has made me desolate,
     Faint all day long.
14 The yoke of my wrongdoings is bound;
     By His hand they are woven together.
     They have come upon my neck;
     He has made my strength fail.
     The Lord has handed me over 
     To those against whom I am not able to stand.
15 The Lord has thrown away all my strong men 
     In my midst;
     He has called an appointed time against me 
     To crush my young men;
     The Lord has trodden as in a wine press 
     The virgin daughter of Judah.
16 For these things I weep;
     My eyes run down with water;
     Because far from me is a comforter,
     One to restore my soul.
     My children are desolate 
     Because the enemy has prevailed.”
17 Zion stretches out with her hands;
     There is no one to comfort her;
     The Lord has commanded regarding Jacob 
     That those around him become his adversaries;
     Jerusalem has become a filthy thing among them.
18 “The Lord is righteous,
     For I have rebelled against His command;
     Hear now, all peoples,
     And see my pain;
     My virgins and my young men 
     Have gone into captivity.
19 I called to my lovers, but they deserted me;
     My priests and my elders perished in the city 
     While they sought food to restore their strength themselves.
20 See, Lord, for I am in distress;
     My spirit is greatly troubled;
     My heart is overturned within me,
     For I have been very rebellious.
     In the street the sword has made women childless;
     In the house it is like death.
21 They have heard that I groan;
     There is no one to comfort me,
     All my enemies have heard of my disaster;
     They are joyful that You have done it.
     Oh, that You would bring the day which You have proclaimed,
     So that they will become like me.
22 May all their wickedness come before You;
     And deal with them just as You have dealt with me 
     For all my wrongdoings.
     For my groans are many and my heart is faint.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

How typical that people will sin, because it feels good in the moment, but rarely consider the consequences that they will face in their future (near or far).  As well, they rarely stop to think about who they are going to hurt in the process.  And they certainly avoid wondering how they are hurting themselves.  And then when one realizes how much they are hurting, they think that no one has ever suffered as much, as verse 12 declares!  Yet, Jesus suffered more than any person ever has!  So, if anyone can understand what we are going through - it is the Lord Jesus!!!

Therefore, also as perplexing and ironic, is how people will rush to ask the Lord for His help and guidance, but then struggle with waiting on the Lord for His help and His answers!  But why wait until we are in trouble and/or in misery before going to the Lord?  And then when we do go to Him for help, we often ignore His answers, or become impatient with waiting.  What then?  People will just remain in their misery and expect others to join them in their misery, and/or confirm that what they are doing is good.  "Just be yourself." "Whatever feels right for you, is good." "You are such a brave, strong person.  Keep on doing exactly what you are doing!" Etc.  And from experience, these worldly friends we depend on, will typically betray us at some point!  So, do we continue to look to the world for our answers and help?

Or, as soon as possible, we can humble ourselves and go straight to the Lord for forgiveness, and experience His grace, healing and freedom from sin.  In His salvation, we can experience His strength, peace, patience, comfort and joy.  In His truth and guidance we will find true wisdom and understanding.  And in our faith, we can trust in Him with confidence that He is sovereign and righteousness, and therefore He will hold to His promises and bring about justice.  He will never betray or forsake us!  So why not rush straight to Him, and then rest in Him?  Why not be open to what His answers are, and trust that He knows best, and wants the best?!

relationships (Jeremiah 52:1-34) Remaining Close

(Jeremiah 52:1-34) 

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that Jehoiakim had done. 3 For because of the anger of the Lord this came about in Jerusalem and Judah, until He drove them out from His presence. And Zedekiah revolted against the king of Babylon. 4 Now it came about in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it, and built a bulwark all around it. 5 So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7 Then the city was breached, and all the warriors fled and left the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls which was by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. 8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the desert plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 9 Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him. 10 And the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the commanders of Judah in Riblah. 11 Then he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze shackles and brought him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.

12 Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 And he burned the house of the Lord, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire. 14 So the entire army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard tore down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. 16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.

17 Now the bronze pillars which belonged to the house of the Lord and the stands and the bronze sea, which were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans smashed to pieces and carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the pans, and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service. 19 The captain of the guard also took the bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the pans, and the drink offering bowls, whatever was fine gold, and whatever was fine silver. 20 The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight. 21 As for the pillars, the height of each pillar was eighteen cubits, and it was twelve cubits in circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow. 22 Also, a capital of bronze was on top of it; and the height of each capital was five cubits, with latticework and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six exposed pomegranates; all the pomegranates numbered a hundred on the latticework all around.

24 Then the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the second priest, with the three officers of the temple. 25 He also took from the city one official who was overseer of the warriors, seven of the king’s advisers who were found in the city, the scribe of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men from the people of the land who were found inside the city. 26 Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was led into exile from its land.

28 These are the people whom Nebuchadnezzar took into exile: in the seventh year 3,023 Jews; 29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar 832 persons from Jerusalem; 30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 people in all.

31 Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, showed favor to Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. 32 Then he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and had his meals in the king’s presence regularly all the days of his life. 34 And as his allowance, a regular allowance was given to him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day, all the days of his life until the day of his death.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God's chosen people had long ago split into two kingdoms, and from then on until this point, there were always two reigning Jewish kings.  The king of Israel clearly disobeyed what God told them to do, and so, suffered and died in misery as a consequence.  The king of Judah, which was the legitimate throne of Israel, obeyed the Lord's instructions by going into captivity, therefore things went well for him.

God wants the best for us, so when He tells us to do something or not do something, it is in our best interest to listen to His guidance and obey!  And even while struggling through something, like being in captivity, things will work out for good when we remain with God!  

It is when we enjoy the Lord's company, in a close, personal relationship, that we will know better what the Lord wants for our lives.  And as we remain close beside Him in this relationship, He will work for us, in us and through us!  As Jesus said...

(John 15:5)  "I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."