WATCHWORD:
37 Who can command things to happen without the Lord’s permission?
38 Does not the Most High send both calamity and good?
39 Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins? 40 Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord.
41 Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say,
42 “We have sinned and rebelled, and you have not forgiven us.
43 “You have engulfed us with your anger, chased us down, and slaughtered us without mercy. Lamentations 3:37-43
Meditation:
Lament
Here’s an old-fashioned Biblical word for you: Lament. Yes, like “Lamentations”, but what does it mean to lament?
I thought I had an idea, until I looked it up in my Webster’s. I kind of, sort of was right. Here is what I found: Lament, a mourning, wailing, to feel deep sorrow. To regret deeply. It is also a literary and musical term meant to convey deep sadness. Is that what you thought?
Well here’s another definition, or at least a different application. Lament is an important concept in the Old Testament, and one deeply ingrained into the Jewish mindset. In some ways, it was closely related to repent, a turning from evil. For those in Jerusalem it was a privilege, bringing their deepest hurts, or struggles to God who cares for us. In lament, we know God as a caring and active spiritual entity, in contrast to the idol gods of the land. Keep in mind that the gods of the ancient near East were harsh and demanding, so that the loving compassion of the true God made Him the perfect person to whom someone could take their heartaches.
That sounds a bit like the Catholic confessional, and maybe it is. Or if it sounds like John the Baptist telling all to repent from their evil ways, yes, it is. Keep in mind the slow evolution of Christianity from persisting legalism of early Judiasm. God’s plan is still unfolding.
The entire book of Lamentations portrays the sufferings of the Israelites as though one man, the author, Jeremiah, had experienced them. It is a reminder that suffering, grief, disappointment always takes place at the individual level. We can sympathize and we can empathize, but we cannot truly feel their pain and suffering, except at the personal level.
We do not like the pain of loss. It is always there with you. You can leave the room, but where ever you are, there it is. You can, like me who took off after the death of my wife, and drove 16,000 miles in six months, and, strangely enough, in the end, there was the pain of loss, right there in the passenger seat.
In the above passage, Jeremiah reminds us that in the midst of the sharp edges of loss it may be difficult to remember that God is in charge and that God allows all of this. When you think about it, knowing that God is there with you in your pain, it’s a world better than being alone, at the mercy of fate.
You have heard that confession is good for the soul. That is one part of the package. Our mental health, or spiritual health, is advanced when we repent. But that journey to spiritual good health is hard to follow alone. Close friends, and a close speaking/listening, ever-present relationship with God are indispensable.
Ever-present. Did you follow that? He is the God of our day, every nano-second of it. You could drive around the world and He would still be right there. You can deny Him, like Peter, and He would still come to you. You could feel alone and lost, but He would still find you and be your compass and companion. His presence gives our lives meaning and purpose. Thank you, God.
Morning Prayer:
Psalm 139 captures the essence of God always present. Let us use most of this Psalm as our morning Prayer —
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
17 How precious are your thoughts about me,[b] O God. They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Amen.
