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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. You walls of
Daughter Zion, let your tears flow like a river day and night; give yourself no
relief, your eyes no rest. Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the
night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift
up your hands to Him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at
every street corner.”
“Look, Lord, and consider: Whom have You ever treated like
this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have cared for? Should
priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?”
“Young and old lie together in the dust of the streets; my
young men and young women have fallen by the sword. You have slain them in the
day of Your anger; You have slaughtered them without pity.”
“As you summon to a feast day, so you summoned against me
terrors on every side. In the day of the Lord’s anger no one escaped or
survived; those I cared for and reared my enemy has destroyed.”
Lamentations 2:18-22
This ends today’s
reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Through looking at the plight of the Israelites, Chapter 2 of
Lamentations has shown us that being under the cloud of God’s judgment and in
the midst of His correction is a place no one should ever want to be. The
hardship and suffering that God’s people experienced as punishment for the sins
they had committed against Him was terrifying and in many cases, fatal.
Oppression, enslavement, and famine came with daily and would come for seventy
years before God would free His people and allow them to return home to rebuild
their homes, their lives, and their relationships with Him. That’s a long time
to have to endure severe difficulty.
So what does God’s word prescribe in regard to how the
Israelites should respond to the Lord’s consequences?
The answer is found in the closing verses of this chapter.
Look at these verses:
“The hearts
of the people cry out to the Lord. You walls of Daughter Zion, let your tears
flow like a river day and night; give yourself no relief, your eyes no rest. Arise,
cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart
like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him for the lives
of your children, who faint from hunger at every street corner.” Lamentations
2:18-19
The only right answer as to how to react to God’s prescribed
discipline for sinfulness is to turn back to Him, repent, and seek His
forgiveness as you move forward to change your ways and commit yourself to
becoming more of the person He wants you to be.
Wasn’t that what we saw in our scripture passage?
The call was for the hearts of God’s people to cry out to the
Lord, showing fully the sadness and lamenting that was in their hearts. God had
been so good to them, faithful and obedient in taking care of them and in
return, they turned away from Him, refusing to comply with His commands to
follow their own desires which included worshipping false gods and idols.
You see, the first step one has to take if they are ever
going to change a negative behavioral trait is to admit that they have a
problem. Or in other words, their actions are part of the overall issue that
got them to trouble in the first place. God expects us to be accountable and
admitting places where we have failed God is the start of allowing Him to enter
in and reform you from the inside out.
As we see in God’s word, the Israelites were to do this and
not just for the moment but for as long as it took to get things right with
God. That might mean repenting day and night without relief or rest. And note
that the people of God were not supposed to just surrender a part of themselves
in sorrow before the Lord. Rather, they were to lift their hands up to Him and pour
out their remorse like water in His sight and presence. For God was surely
looking for honesty and legitimacy in the Israelites’ emotions. Faking it was
not going to get it done.
Friends, if you are reading this and in the midst of hardship
because of sin, I pray you will allow the word of the Lord to instruct your
heart, mind, and soul as to the actions you should take.
Turn back to the Lord.
Cry out to Him and repent with all your heart.
Lift up your hands to Him and seek His mercy.
And prepare to receive His direction and guidance as He leads
you away from your transgressions and toward the righteous life He desires, a
life that will place you in His favor and away from His punishment.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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