Waiting

But to avoid lament is denial. It is a failure to recognize the struggles of life. It is dishonest, really.

But lament does not exclude praise. In the Psalms, lament and praise usually go hand in hand. They are not mutually exclusive. And in the middle of Lamentations, in the midst of affliction, there shines a ray of hope. You will likely recognize some of these verses from chapter 3:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Christian hymns and songs have been based on those verses, and many people would probably be surprised to learn that they come from the middle of Lamentations. And I want to draw out 2 points from those verse:

One. God’s faithfulness. God is faithful. He keeps his promises. God does what he says.

God kept his immediate promise that the people would suffer exile and lose their nation if they did not turn from idolatry.

But there was a greater story here, and a greater promise. Remember Abraham. The nation promised to Abraham was to bring blessing to the world, and it did through the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Even though all of Israel, the Northern and Southern kingdom, ended up in exile – God remained faithful to his promise. Our actions cannot thwart the promises of God. Isn’t that comforting? Our actions can bring negative consequences, but the promises of God can’t be negated by us. We are not that powerful.

God preserved a remnant of believers. Even though the nation as a whole abandoned YHWH, there were still some who were faithful to Him. After exile, this faithful remnant returned to the land – and through that remnant, Jesus came to us.

When God makes a promise, he keeps it. Even though it may seem like a long delay from our human perspective. And that leads us to the second point…

Two. Those hopeful verses in the middle of Lamentations mention waiting twice: “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him. It it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Waiting conflicts with our modern expectations. We want things now. We like instant results. We want results we can see. We live in a particularly impatient age.

The Jews at the time of Jeremiah and Lamentations had a long wait ahead of them. In Jeremiah 29, God revealed through Jeremiah, that they would be in exile for 70 years. Think about that! If you were an adult going to exile, you would die in exile. You would never return to your homeland.

Does that mean God’s promises failed these people? — NO. But the promises of God would come to pass after their lifetime.

Can you live in faith even when God’s ultimate promises may not be fulfilled until after your lifetime?

I’m sure you know the expression “this too shall PASS.” Well, there is a Christian book to be released in the spring of 2020 entitled: This too shall LAST, finding grace when suffering lingers. [Link to book HERE.]