Reflection

A reflection of the hope I cling to in response to the mourning of the poet of Lamentations…

Helpless, cold, alone, angry, hurt, resentful, selfish, self centered, mournful, comfortless, vengeful, sad, confused, and shocked.

How can I feel so much at once and yet feel nothing at all? My heart and mind are as numb as my bruised and bleeding feet. I shouldn’t be walking through the rubble, but I feel no pain, so I press on. I don’t feel the tears as they run down my cheeks. I find proof of them only as I brush the hair from face; the dusty strands are damp.

I haven’t lost my sense of smell. The odor of decay carries through the streets and mingles with the smoke of the smoldering ashes. Widows mourn their husbands; children cry at their feet. Tortured men wander dazed through the charred remains of arches that used to be doorways. What fine homes used to stand on these corners… what fine families used to live in them.

I keep walking, tattered clothes dragging. I fall to my knees at the gate of my destination. But, NO! The Temple has been shamed! My feelings are freed and I weep. What hope is there for us now?

“We have nothing left to offer you, Lord,” I cry in my heart, “What can we do but beg for your mercy and cling to your honor?"

Jeremiah 33:3-4,6-8

The LORD said, “Call to me, and I will answer you; I will tell you wonderful and marvelous things that you know nothing about. I, the LORD, the God of Israel, say that the houses of Jerusalem and the royal palace of Judah will be torn down as a result of the siege and the attack…But, I will heal this city and its people and restore them to health. I will show them abundant peace and security. I will make Judah and Israel prosperous, and I will rebuild them as they were before.”

God PROMISED. He knew what was going to happen and He still PROMISED. The sin, the conscious choice to defy Him… He KNEW. And He PROMISED. His promises have nothing to do with our actions, but everything to do with the Honor of His Word. When our hearts are made humble and we earnestly repent, God restores us, not because we deserve it, but because He loves us and will Honor His Word.