Just Let Me Remember

The book of Lamentations is filled with tears and sorrow. It has been so bad that there are some who referred to it as a paean of pain. A poem of pity, a proverb of tragedy, a hymn of heartbreak, a psalm of sadness, a symphony of sorrow, a story of sifting, a tale of tears, a chant of desolation, a tragedy of travail, an account of agony. In other words it’s a book of “boo-hoos.” ??In fact, some call it the wailing wall of the Bible. And no Memphis blues singer has ever sung a sadder song than that which is contained in the Book of Lamentations.??These five chapters are a series of sad song or funeral hymns in which the writer describes and laments over the desolation of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. In other words, Lamentations is this writer’s response to Judah’s chastening by the hand of GOD. ??Well as we look into our text. Judah and its capital Jerusalem had suffered a spanking under the hands of GOD, and had fallen to the Babylonian army under Nebuchadnezzar. ??

The city and those left alive are in a crisis and the siege has taken its toll. The survivors are desperate for food, for their fortunes, and for their futures. They looked around but no help came from their allies. In fact, God had caused their former allies to turn against them in their hours of need. ??The kingdom and city that was once a queen among the nations is now like a hopeless widow. The thing that hurts the writer of Lamentations the most is the realization that this chastening could have been avoided and that this is their own fault. ??You see ... in Deuteronomy 11, God offers Israel a choice: either a life of productivity and enjoyment, which could be made possible just by being obedience to Him. Or he offered them a life of difficulty and opposition made necessary by their disobedience. And unfortunately, over and over again, they chose disobedience over obedience. And what’s amazing to me is that people will choose disobedience, defiance rebellion quicker then they will obedience.??

So as a result of Judah’s sin and their disobedience, they have lost the peace, happiness, and hope that they once enjoyed.??And as I see the hearts of many this morning I know that some may be feeling that way today that you have lost your peace, happiness, and hope. But I’ve have some good news for you this morning and that is, don’t be dismay because trouble don’t last always. Because within our text this morning, are words of comfort to God’s people when we are in trouble and distressed. ??And this is good news, because somebody needs to know this morning that, YES we will all face tragedy in our lives, but in the midst of our affliction, shines a ray of hope. In our dilemma there is rest for the weary. Through our trouble we know that they won’t last always. ??

So let us examine our text...??Let me point out that while the author of our text is not revealed, it is believed that this is the weeping prophet Jeremiah speaking. And in (v.18) he says, And I said, my strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:??Watch this he said that “my strength” Hebrew word which means future, or victory.

This word carries with it the idea that there is no light at the end tunnel.??You know it is one thing to be broke and hungry and you know that payday is tomorrow. ??But it is another to be broke and hungry and you realize that you do not have a job.??Some who find themselves in that situation might say, my strength, my Ne?a?, my future, my victory is dead.

But the question that we must ask ourselves is how did he get this way???Well, it is right here in our text ... ??(v.18) We have already discovered that Jeremiah has lost his strength, and his hope for the future. The light at the end of the tunnel has gone out but the question is why.??Notice (v.18) he says and my hope. ??You know, it is quite interesting when we look at the actual definition of the word hope.??This word in the Hebrew means expectation.??It is derived from the Hewhich means to??To wait?To be patient?Cause to have, or make to have hope?Stay?Tarry?Trust?To be in pain ??So, in essence Jeremiah has given up on his expectation of God’s ability to help him. ?In other words all hope was lost because he believed God has withdrawn (and reneged) and took back His strength and now he is in essence saying...??I’m tired of waiting, I’m tired of being patient?I’m tired of this pain?I’m tired of being still because nothing seems to be changing?I’m tired of trusting cause I don’t see any evidence that things are going to get better, ?so don’t tell be to tarry; you tarry I’m done waiting.