“My groans are many,
and I am sick at heart.”
Lamentations 1:22
If there is one thing that is true in this world, is it this: Some days are better than others.
One of the more fascinating things in life is how quickly our situation and circumstances can change. One minute we are enjoying a delightful moment and experience. The next, the world as we know it, is being torn apart.
What do we do when things get hard?
What do we do when life seems to be throwing more and more at us?
If anyone knows about difficulty and even suffering, it is the nation of Judah that Jeremiah is describing. The civic structure they had come to find comfort in and rely on vanished overnight as Babylon conquered and led them into captivity. Listen to the prophet’s words as he paints the picture in the very first verse:
“Jerusalem, once so full of people,
is now deserted.
She who was once great among the nations
now sits alone like a widow.
Once the queen of all the earth,
she is now a slave.”
He goes on in verse 16:
“For all these things I weep;
tears flow down my cheeks.
No one is here to comfort me;
any who might encourage me are far away.
My children have no future,
for the enemy has conquered us.”
In the midst of our pain, we may be tempted to ask the question, “Where is God?”
It’s a valid question.
As Christians, we claim to worship a God that loves us enough to sacrifice for us and redeem us. What allows him to allow us to experience pain in our lives?
The reality is love.
As God walked with his people, time and time again they trampled over his words and desires. He maintained faithfulness to them. They returned the favor with unfaithfulness. In the end, God loves us enough to give us what we ask for … including space apart from him or the opportunity to go down a path that is not what he wants for us.
Questions for reflection:
- How are you today? What groans come to mind when you take stock of you?
- Which of the groans you have named have come from things you can’t control?
- Which of the groans are the result of choices you have made?
- How would you articulate the intersection of God’s love and the natural consequences we face?
- How does the hope of the resurrection and the final restoration of all things impact the way we lament the groans in our life?