Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from Lamentations, Chapter 3 verse 25, “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him,” (NRSVB). Most scholars ascribe this book to the prophet Jeremiah. He lived in Jerusalem and prophesied for forty years, warning of the destruction of the city and the temple. The calamity happened, the prophet sees the ruins of the once beautiful city and the temple. The only songs the he can sing are songs of laments and cries. The joy of life and of worship have disappeared.
The structure of the five chapters of this book reminds of the structure of Psalm One Hundred and Nineteen, where each letter of the Hebrew alphabet receives an eight versed acrostic meditation on the word of God. In this Lamentation text the twenty two letters of the Hebrew Alphabet are used acrostically, assigning to each letter a verse of lament or prayer. Chapter Three is composed of three groups of twenty two verses each, sixty six verses in all, as the centre piece of this lament text. In the Hebrew text the opening word of each verse, using the alphabet consecutively, enhances the atmosphere of sorrow, by ascribing loss and pain to every letter that ones uses to express oneself. God said the he is the Alpha and the Omega, which is the rendering of the Greek first and last alphabet letters, meaning the beginning and the end. In English one would say, the A to Z of all things. As God is the A to Z of all things. He is also the A to Z of sorrow and pain and turns these round as he hears the cries of his lamenting children.
In this third chapter of the Lamentation text, we can draw clear parallels with the Job text. Jeremiah says in verses 17 and 18, “And You have bereaved my soul and cast it off far from peace: I have forgotten what what good and happiness are. And I say, Perished is my strength and my expectation from the Lord,” (Amplified Bible). As Job reasoned with God, so does Jeremiah, and then the glimmer of light breaks through and the Prophet finds new hope, “But this I recall and therefore have I hope and expectation: It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving kindness, that we are not consumed,” verses 21 to 22. God’s word is a source of hope and expectation for us. We read the countless narratives of the great heroes of faith coming to God in utter despair for the people, and the situation around them, interceding and calling on God, whom they feel is hiding his face. God comes to aide his faithful children and reveals to them his mercy and fills them with the rays of sunlit radiance of heavenly splendour.
Moses came to God in deep distress, wearied by the rebellious Israelites in the desert, who disobeyed God’s commands and rose up against Moses, and God gave him new strength and appointed more leaders to help him. Elijah begged the Lord to take his life, and let him come to the Lord and rest in peace in heaven, for the opposition that he received from the people overwhelmed him and threatened his life, and God gave his time to restore his strength by resting, receiving meals from ravens and angels. Jesus, in his deep agony, prayed to God to take the Cup of Crucifixion from him, if it were God’s will, and God sent his Angel to restore his strength and spirit, and to give him divine grace to bear the Cross and fulfil his ministry. The picture that has been painted throughout scripture is a painting of hope: God comes and aides his children and turn their sorrow into joy. The patient waiting on the deliverance of the Lord will be rewarded and the cast-down spirit will experience joy in the Lord again.
The writer of the Book Hebrew writes in Chapter 10 verse 35, “Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward,” (NRSVB). In this chapter the writer reminds the congregation of their suffering that they had to endure once they accepted the message, the Gospel of the Messiah. They endured hardship and persecution, they endured the animosity of even their own loved ones, but they unflinchingly held to the grace that God promised them, and the faith that he bestowed on them, through the work of Jesus on the Cross. This is the hope of all the ages. Despite the dark clouds, let us take up the cross that we have to bear and look onto our Lord who suffered for us, and attained, on our behalf, life. He will not let us stay in our cast- down state. “But our way is not that of those who draw back, but we are of those who believe and cleave to and trust in and rely on God through Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and by faith our souls are preserved,” (Hebrews 10 verse 39).
Father, help us to have steadfast patience and endurance, perform and fully accomplish your will in us. We thank you that you have promised us life in abundance as we wait on you, Amen.