By Gail Gritts
Lamentations is woeful and full of Jeremiah’s exhausted bereavement at the judgment of God on Israel. He is so wearied with it all. In chapter three he discovers an amazing antidote that can help all of us facing times of intense trial. Let’s take time to decipher it. Open your Bible to Lamentations 3 and follow along.
God’s judgment on Israel has brought affliction to the prophet Jeremiah. Men are persecuting him and laughing at him (vs. 1, 14). It has left him feeling forsaken and in a dark place (vs. 2, 6). He feels trapped (vs. 5, 7, and 9), and begins to believe God must be against him as well (vs. 3, 10, 12). He is full of hurt and bitterness (vs. 4, 11, 13, 15, and 16). He feels completely cut off, even from prayer (vs. 8, 17, and 44).
Sounds awfully depressing, doesn’t it? But in the midst of his woeful lamentation, he reveals a way out, a way forward, and a secret we all need to learn for enduring deep trials.
“And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord: Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.” (vs. 18-21).
What? Thinking about his desperate circumstance brought him hope? Yes! You might say, the only way out is up, so Jeremiah doesn’t pretend things aren’t bad. He accepts he is in a bad spot. But he shifts his focus. That word “recall” means “make to return to my heart.” Instead of continuing to bemoan his situation, he begins thinking about the Lord, and looking at his trial from a purposeful prospect. That created hope in his heart.
Look at the things he recites. Remember the Lord. Trust in His goodness, His promises (vs. 22-33). And what are they? Mercy, in verse 22. Faithfulness, in verse 23. God’s provision, in verse 24. And goodness, in verse 25. Jeremiah knows the consistent characteristics of God. He had experienced them before, and knew them to be true.
Now, he begins to speak truth into his situation. Humble yourself (vs. 20). Wait on God, he tells himself in verse 26. Learning to bear heaviness is good for spiritual growth (vs. 27). Learning to wait is an appointed lesson from God. Repent (vs. 29, 59). Yield (vs. 30). This too will pass (vs. 31). God will give compassion and mercy (vs. 32). It probably hurts God more than it hurts Jeremiah, but God knows how to teach His children to trust Him more fully (vs. 33). There is a purpose in this trial.
Jeremiah concludes, “Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto the God in the heavens” (Lamentations 3:40, 41).
What did he do next? “I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon” (Lamentation 3:55). Even though he felt very low, he prayed anyway. He chose to act by faith instead of drowning in his emotions.
Did he find help? Yes! “Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee! Thou saidst, Fear not” (Lamentations 3:57).
You might think Jeremiah’s plight changed over night. It did not. His trial was not yet complete. But, by looking to the Lord, recognizing God’s goodness, accepting and confessing his dependence and personal sin, he found the wisest way to endure troublesome times.
Cast yourself upon the Lord, and fear not. God has not left you. He knows right where you are. He will bring you out much stronger, and ready to give praise for all you have learned if you faithfully wait on Him.