A word fitly spoken is like APPLES OF GOLD in a setting of silver – Proverbs 25v11
The Book of Lamentations is not a very popular book for readers of the Bible because lamentation means sorrow, mourning and regret and we find that depressing. But there is an expression “Don’t judge a book by its cover” or in this case “don’t judge a book by its title” so let us see what we can learn from this neglected book. Over the next few weeks I want to highlight some verses in chapter 3 starting today with verses 17-18 “I have been deprived of peace-I have forgotten what prosperity is. So I say “My splendour is gone and all I had hoped from the Lord”. All of us have times of disappointment and stress which causes us despair, self-pity, emotional turmoil and lack of peace. Maybe you are hurting right now or maybe you cannot get over the hurt you have experienced in the past. Sometimes we are at fault because we won’t “move on” and continue to nurse our actual or perceived hurt by keeping it on “life support”. Or we are like cows regurgitating their cud by rehearsing our hurt as in verse 19-20 “I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them and my soul is downcast within me”. But this isn’t God’s will because He wants us to have a life of victory and joy as we are told in 1Thessalonians 5v18: “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” This is easier said than done when your world is crashing around you. How do we do this? The answer is in verse 21 “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope; 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.” The hymn writer tells us to “count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done”. Every day when we wake up to the sound of birds, smell of flowers and beauty of nature these are blessings which we don’t deserve when we consider our sinful nature. Friends don’t waste another day “nursing your hurt”, learn from Jesus’ cry on the Cross “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23v34). Because of the Lord’s compassion, love and faithfulness as expressed in that prayer we are not consumed – how then can we not forgive others for our hurts? We can even reverse the hurt and thus be a blessing to others.
God Bless.
Graeme Greenwood