Today’s Reading: Lamentations 4-5, Psalm 88

Our hearts are sick and weary,
and our eyes grow dim with tears…
But Lord, you remain the same forever!
Your throne continues from generation to generation.
Why do you continue to forget us?
Why have you abandoned us for so long?
Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again!
Give us back the joys we once had!
Or have you utterly rejected us?
Are you angry with us still? – Lamentations 5:18-22

I am forgotten, cut off from your care.
You have thrown me into the lowest pit, into the darkest depths…
I am in a trap with no way of escape.
My eyes are blinded by my tears.
Each day I beg for your help, O Lord;
I lift my hands to you for mercy. – Psalm 88:5b-9

Many of us have gone through a season in life when one thing after another seems to be going wrong. We cry out to God and dare to hope that He will answer our prayers. We repeat the same prayers over and over again without a clear sign that God has heard or is answering our prayers. We hold on tight to our faith as we push back the wave of doubt that threatens to undo us.

Jerusalem’s gates have sunk into the ground.
He has smashed their locks and bars.
Her kings and princes have been exiled to distant lands; her law has ceased to exist.
Her prophets receive no more visions from the Lord.

The leaders of beautiful Jerusalem sit on the ground in silence.
They are clothed in burlap and throw dust on their heads.
The young women of Jerusalem hang their heads in shame.

I have cried until the tears no longer come; my heart is broken.
My spirit is poured out in agony as I see the desperate plight of my people.
Little children and tiny babies are fainting and dying in the streets.
They cry out to their mothers, “We need food and drink!”
Their lives ebb away in the streets like the life of a warrior wounded in battle.
They gasp for life as they collapse in their mothers’ arms. – Lamentations 2:9-12

Life as they knew it was gone. They were surrounded by death and grief. The totality of their sin had destroyed their beautiful city and the time of exile had begun. They cried out to God and held on to His promise that He would be with them during this difficult time. He would hold them in His hand and help them. There was not a promise to save them from pain or take away their grief, but there was a promise to be faithful in the midst of the storm. God promised them, just as He promises us, that He would not abandon them but would continue to be their Lord and Redeemer.

Are you discouraged about a certain situation? Can you relate to the cries of God’s people as their city was being destroyed and their families were being divided? I pray that today you are reminded that God is for you, that you are chosen, and that He has not forsaken you. My prayer for you today is that you will be reminded that you are who God says you are, and that you will know with confidence that He is who He says He is.

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand…
For I hold you by your right hand – I, the Lord your God.
And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.
I am the Lord, your Redeemer.
I am the Holy One of Israel.’” – Isaiah 41:10,13-14