God Speaks
Jeremiah Cries Out to the LORD, “Restore Us to Yourself, LORD,”
Verse of the Day: 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. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” (Jeremiah 3:22-24 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Lamentations 3-5:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Lamentations 3
1. “The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!’” (Lamentations: 3:22-24 NLT)
2. “So it is good to wait quietly for the salvation from the LORD. . . . let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the LORD. Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say, ‘We have sinned and rebelled, . . . We are filled with fear, for we are trapped, devastated, and ruined.’” (Lamentations 3:40-42a, 45 NLT)
[The author of this blog sees this chapter as reflecting a prayer interaction between Jeremiah and the LORD. Verses 1-20: God has removed his hand of blessing from Jeremiah and the nation, His beloved Israel, and Jerusalem. Jeremiah is recounting his and the nation’s feelings as Satan is afflicting them using human agents. Verses 21-26, 31-33, 37-39, and 58-60 are statements of faith in the LORD. Verses 34-36, 43-54, and 61-63 describe the difficult situations that may occur or people’s feelings or perceptions (true or not). Verses 27-30, 40-42, and 55-57 tell what people should do amid such difficulties. Verses 64-66 tell what Jeremiah wants God to do about the situation. What a wonderful model of a believer’s interaction with God amid great difficulty.]
Lamentations 4
1. The anger of the LORD will be satisfied. His fierce anger will be expressed.
2. Not a king in all the earth–no one in all the world–would have believed that an enemy could march through the gates of Jerusalem [invade the border of Israel]. Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the sins of her priests, who defiled the city [nation] by shedding innocent blood.
Lamentations 5
1. The LORD remains holy forever! His throne continues from generation to generation unlike the regimes of mankind. In His time the LORD can and will restore those people who respond to His loving grace, bringing them great and eternal joy.
2. People who resist God are pursued to exhaustion and find no rest or rescue. They face horrific oppression–lack of food and water, savage violence, cruel labor for youth and children, torture, rape and great suffering, sorrow, and death.
[This chapter is seen by the author of this blog as being vividly enacted in Israel and the Middle East at this time in history (beginning October 7, 2023, and continuing).]
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Lamentations 3-5?
O LORD God, Your faithful love never ends! Your mercies never cease. Great is Your faithfulness; Your mercies begin afresh each morning. LORD, You are my inheritance; therefore, I will put my hope in You! It is good to wait quietly for the salvation (rescue and restoration) that comes only from You, LORD. Holy Spirit, help us to test ourselves and examine our ways. Enable us to turn back to the LORD. May we lift up our hearts and hands to You, God in heaven, and say, “We have sinned and rebelled against You. Therefore, we are filled with fear, for we are trapped, devastated, and ruined.” Your anger, O LORD, must be satisfied. Your fierce anger must be assuaged. No government official in all the earth–no one in all the world–believed that an enemy could invade the border of Israel as those terrorists did on October 7, 2023. How could millions of people be allowed (even welcomed) to illegally invade the southern border of the USA? Yet it happened because of the sins of the political leaders and the sins of the religious leaders (as well as the common people) who defiled these nations by shedding the blood of innocents through abortion. O LORD God, You remain holy forever! Your throne has and will continue from generation to generation, unlike the regimes of mankind. In Your time, LORD, You can and will restore those people who respond to Your loving grace, bringing them great and eternal joy. People who continue to resist You, LORD God, are pursued to exhaustion and find no rest or rescue. They face horrific oppression–lack of food and water, savage violence, cruel labor for youth and children, torture, rape and great suffering, sorrow, and death. It is only by the return and reign of our blessed Savior Jesus that we will see the ultimate end of the conflict in the Middle East and conflicts of any kind anywhere else. Then we will bring You glory forever, LORD. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Lamentations 3-5? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will pray for the peace of Jerusalem and all of Israel (including Gaza and the West Bank).
- I will send support to hospitals who are trying to treat the victims of the atrocities in Israel (and anywhere else they are occurring).
- I will seek and stand up for God’s truth to be revealed and for evil to be overcome.
- I will point someone to God’s word and His plan to redeem and restore people to the joy He has made available to them in Christ Jesus.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.