<\/p>\n
Lamentations 2:1-4:22<\/strong><\/span> Perhaps Lamentations chapter 2, verses 18 & 19, give us a hint at what we should do if we realize we\u2019ve hit a rock bottom place in our lives due to unchecked sin \u2013 \u201cCry aloud before the Lord, O walls of Jerusalem! Let your tears flow like a river. Give yourselves no rest from weeping day or night. Rise during the night and cry out. Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord. Lift up your hands to him in prayer.\u201d<\/em> If you are at that place of rock bottom, or nearing it, will you cry to the Lord? Will you pour out your heart to the Lord letting him know that you need him \u2013 that you cannot do life without him? Will you pray?<\/span> Lamentations Chapter 3 today starts out quite sad and empty in verses 1-20.\u00a0 Of course, the reason for this sadness and emptiness in these opening verses is God\u2019s discipline toward the people of Jerusalem at this time.\u00a0 They had sinned greatly and thus this discipline had come upon them.\u00a0 I think the thing for us to remember in seasons like this in our lives is that it is typically only a season.\u00a0 This too shall pass \u2013 if we repent & learn & grow and return to the Lord.\u00a0 Indeed, we see the transition in chapter 21: \u201cYet I still dare to hope when I remember this\u2026\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>I love this!\u00a0 \u201cI still dare to hope\u201d \u2013 even in the midst of so much sadness & emptiness.\u00a0 In the midst of our tough seasons in life, can we still dare to hope?\u00a0 Why should we still dare to hope?\u00a0 Will you still dare to hope?<\/span><\/p>\n Verses 22 to 66 in today\u2019s readings are just phenomenal. I could write on and on about probably each of these verses. There is so much here for us. I\u2019d encourage you to read these verses at least twice and meditate on them and how they might apply to your life today. I\u2019ll jump through a couple of verses here that stood out to me. Verse 23 \u2013 \u201cGreat is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day.\u201d<\/em> Do you experience God\u2019s mercies afresh each day? Do you believe that you can?<\/span><\/p>\n Verse 25 \u2013 \u201cThe LORD is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him.\u201d<\/em> If you are not experiencing God now, will you wait for him? Will you seek him? (this reminds me of Jeremy Camp\u2019s tune on his worship album \u2013 \u201cI\u2019ll wait for the Lord. My soul waits\u201d. Great tune and great reminder that we sometimes need to wait on the Lord).<\/span><\/p>\n Worship Video:<\/strong>\u00a0 Lamentations 3:23 obviously reminded me of the wonderful worship song \u201cGreat is Thy Faithfulness.\u201d\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t quite find a good version of this on song on YouTube.\u00a0 However, I found a wonderful song called \u201cGreat is Your Mercy\u201d with Donnie McClurkin and several other singers.\u00a0 Enjoy!<\/span><\/p>\n \n
~ Click here to read today\u2019s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~<\/span><\/em>
~ Listen to today\u2019s Scripture with <\/em>The ESV Bible<\/em><\/span> ~<\/p>\n