Discover His heart: “Great is His faithfulness.”
“I have cried until the tears no longer come; my heart is broken.”(2:11) Jeremiah cried in anguish over the ruins of Jerusalem in Lamentations, appropriately named. A lamentation is a song or poem expressing grief or sorrow, and the book of Lamentations is just that, a funeral dirge for the loss of lives, the devastation of war and God’s rejection of rebellious Israel. God removed His hand of protection from Israel, and the enemy came to destroy it. Jeremiah was at a funeral, but before we put on our black garb and pass the tissues, we need to continue reading.
After experiencing the devastation of September 11, we have an idea of Jeremiah’s pain and emotions as he looked over the smoldering city. One of his greatest sorrows was remembering what was – the beautiful palaces and city gates, the children laughing and playing. And he remembered the temple, the place of holy festivals and Sabbath days, His altar and sanctuary (2:6).
With the many, many churches in each of our cities today, we may not understand the importance and focal point of the Temple in early cultures. Traveling through Europe today and viewing the landscape of old cities, I have noticed that the dominant structure in each one is the church in the heart of the town. Jeremiah grieved over his broken temple, the focal point of his city, his life.
I understand this heartache when I think of my nation that is broken in so many ways, remembering what was – a nation founded on Biblical principles where God’s blessing and hand of protection were valued and sought after. Sadly, we have taken God’s role in our nation’s beginning out of our textbooks, our schools and our hearts. And with Jeremiah, I shout, “Cry aloud before the Lord…let your tears flow like a river day and night. Give yourselves no rest…rise during the night and cry out. Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him in prayer, pleading for your children.”(2:18-19) This can be our only response, turning our hearts back to our God in prayer, not only for us but for our children as well.
The hope of Jeremiah’s Lamentations and of ours is this, “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning…For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever…because of the greatness of His unfailing love.” (3:21-23,31-32) The restoration of Israel has been slow, but Jeremiah’s tears and prayers have reached down through the centuries, along with the prayers of countless others, and Israel is once again a strong nation. No one can deny that His hand of protection has been on Israel. Great is His faithfulness.
I am challenged today to pray harder than ever before for the restoration of my nation with the understanding that we do not have centuries for it to happen. If we pray, if we repent, He will respond to our prayers because of His unfailing love – He just can’t help Himself.
Moving Forward: I am encouraged today by God’s unfailing love and His new mercies for my nation and for me. With hope I believe and sing, “Great is Thy faithfulness, Oh God, my Father. There is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not. As thou hast been, thou forever will be.”
Tomorrow @ Luke 9-10
Phyllis Benigas 