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Devotional
Weekly Bible Devotion By Books
June 19-24, 2023
Enter the Presence of the Lord
(All) Give thanks to the Lord,
(M) for he is good,
(W) for his steadfast love endures forever.
(M) He has become my salvation.
(W) He has made his light to shine upon us.
(M) you are my God.
(W) you are my God.
(M) I will give thanks to you.
(W) I will extol you.
(All) This is the day Lord has made,
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Scripture Reading
Lamentations 3:19-26
19 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. 20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. 21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Thoughts to share What to do with a great loss?
The book of Lamentation is a book about the profound sorrow and grave grief over the fall and destruction of Jerusalem, the center of the kingdom of Judah. The grief wave after wave came to the residents left behind. Once populated city was deserted. Everything was gone! Every familiar scene was gone! Once great and glorious buildings were burned down. Every leader, country fellow, family, relative was gone into captivity! Hungry young children and elderly were fainted at every street. The Kingdom was gone! The land was totally ruined and desolate. No more friendliness, respect to it. No comfort was around. No pity was toward it. No more holy days, sabbath day, festivals. The city was in trembling, weeping. This was a post-war scene. It was profoundly traumatic! We heard the soul wrestling in the early stage of such a traumatic event.
From modern medical clinical view, we have no doubt about the authenticity of this book. The book vividly captured every torment of a trauma to a total person. Physically, stomach churned. Eyes flowed with tears. Their face was blacker. Their skin was shriveled on their bones and became dry. Emotionally, people were in emotional turmoil: crying, weeping, tearing, groan, moan, disbelief, scare, agony, pain, confusion, loneliness, distress. Spiritually, they questioned God. How could God have no pity toward them at all? How could God give such full vent to his wrath on his own beloved people? Why did God cast them off? Has God’s steadfast love forever ceased? Has he forgotten to be gracious? Has his anger shut up his compassion? Has hope from God been perished? Were they deserved such hot anger toward them? How about the sins and faults of those enemies, who destroyed them, insulted them, disgrace them?
In the deep sorrow and hurt, the Israelites brought such great loss and pain to God again.
1) They vented everything to him. They were utterly open their souls to the Lord. They poured their pains, their sighs, their cries. They complained the heaviness of punishment, oppression over them. They questioned God did such a matter to them. They expressed the anger at the injustice over the sins of their enemies. They were sorry for their sins. They told their longing.
2) They sought for God. Deep in their souls, they knew: Forever the Lord was their Lord. Forever, he was their salvation. Forever he was the only God who would go for help. Forever the Lord was with them, even though it seemed that the Lord has abandoned them and turned away them. Forever God was for them, even though they were punished so harshly and even there were more sins on their enemies to be straighten out. Forever, the Lord would reign. Forever his throne would endure to all generations.
3) They honestly and humbly examined themselves. They found guilts in themselves. They confessed that I have been very rebellious. I have rebelled against his word. They accepted the punishment, even it was unbearable. They said, “why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins?” The Lord was in his right.
4) They remembered who their God had been to them. Forever he was their hope. Forever he was their portion. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to the end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
5) They waited quietly for the salvation of the Lord. They continued praying to the Lord. In praying, they continued their pains, their complains. But more importantly, they prayed for their restoration to the Lord and for their renewal of their days.
The book of Lamentations is a smallest book in the major Prophet books. But it captures a very important moment in the history of the Israelites. In the great loss and tragedy, we saw the great reflections about their faith, their selves, their past, present and future. It was enlightening to see that they processed their great loss and grief in such a real and mature way. It reminds us in the 21th century that God forever is our comfort and hope. Our restoration and renewal are found in him. In the darkness of our wounds and ruins, we see a hope and we see a better tomorrow each day because of him. He is worthy to be worshipped and praised!
Prayer suggestions
Who is in any heartbroken loss/ disappointment, or, in any prolonged and unresolved loss/disappointment? Is there a way out? Read the book of Lamentations. It comforts. It inspires. You are not alone.
O Lord of our refuge, life is hard. Our own faults cause it partially. More causes are the factors out of our control. We run to you and want your help and support. Renew your grace and mercy to us every morning. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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