Skip to main content

Lamentations 3:1-3 Great is your faithfulness in time of relentless affliction - Day 238

Good morning fellow soldiers,

While Lamentations is grouped with the prophetic books, it seems to have a lot of wisdom characteristics. It answers the "why do bad things happen to good people" question.  As I sit in a comfortable chair in a comfortable apartment in Madison, Wi Jeremiah's experience is beyond my understanding.  I have to wonder if being "in Christ" is a nice theological concept of a experiential reality.

Blessings,

Jeff

Jeremiah pouring out his heart about his experience as God's prophet.  This is the location of "great is your faithfulness" in v21-27.  But this confidence is surrounded by the lament of a man who is not at all happy with God.  The first 20 verses are like these first 3.  He sees God's relentless affliction of the man who has been a faithful prophet.

It is a solemn reminder that Jeremiah saw God's faithfulness most clearly in the midst of great anguish.  The "health and wealth" message closes its eyes to Lamentations.  What would Jeremiah say to "Your better life now"?  

When I say God is sovereign, I mean that He does all things for His glory and my good.  But I don't get to define what "my good" is.  I don't think that Jeremiah saw relentless affliction as good when he was experiencing it.  I don't think he saw his condition as bringing glory to God.  But he did not give up. 

I believe that he "knew what he knew"  When God called him this is what He said: But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” Jeremiah 1:17-19

Beloved, now is the time to "know what we know" and remember what we must not forget.  If we are to experience a relentless affliction, we must be grounded in the truth.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Revelation 22:3-5 Final and eternal restoration - Day 365

Dear saints in the Lord, Congratulations!  You made it.  We have been through much turmoil in the last year ('20-'21).  But God is faithful to His promises.  I trust that you have been blessed in your reading and have drawn closer to God.   Since we didn't get the blog up and running at the beginning of the challenge, I am going to go back and post entries to cover that first month or so.   Blessings, Jeff Nothing accursed in the city of God, the new Jerusalem.  The presence of sin will be gone.  I am working on memorizing Westminster Shorter Catechism and currently on question 82.  Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God? No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God but does daily break them in thought, word and deed. I think our passage today points to the truth of this question.  Do you notice how this answer is not exactly the same as the question. "Any man" bec...
Post a Comment
Read more

Malachi 2:10-12 Here we go again!! Day 363

Good afternoon friends, As we draw to the end of the Old Testament, we see that Judah has rebuilt the temple and the walls of Jerusalem, but they are following in the footsteps of faithless fathers and not in the footsteps of Abraham and ultimately God.  The exile was a low point, but now a new low is about to happen.  The prophetic voice has once again become warning and not encouraging. Faithful reading and preaching of the word is all that keeps us from losing our way.  May we be faithful in our generation. Blessings, Jeff I am sure I have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating.  The section summary, chapter and verse are not in the original language.  They are all rather modern inventions to help us.  For example, the section title here is "Judah profaned the Covenant".  That is OK as far as it goes, but which Covenant?  So let's take a look. Observations Starts with 3 questions but who is asking the questions and to whom are they addre...
Post a Comment
Read more

2 Chronicles 35:23-26 Lament for the last good king - Day 364

Good morning fellow exiles and pilgrims, One more day of devotions.  We are indeed exiles and pilgrims in this world as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  The 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks can serve as a reminder that this world is not our home. Blessings, Jeff The lamentations for Josiah written by Jeremiah.  However, the book of Lamentations does not include any reference to Josiah as they are focused on the fall of Jerusalem.  While these lost lamentations were "made the rule" there are only 4 more kings and none of them were good like Josiah and none died in Jerusalem.  The phrase "to this day" generally refers to the time of the author (post exile).  Taken together, it may be that these laments were for the last good king and during the exile the people were longing for the next good king. Zerubbabel in a way was the next good king as temple and Jerusalem were rebuilt. But Jesus truly was the next king and He...
Post a Comment
Read more