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Day 3 Lamentations 3 Lamentations 3:1 I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. 2 He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light. 3 Surely against me is he turned; he turns his hand against me all the day. 4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones. 5 He hath built against me, and compassed me with gall and travail. 6 He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old. 7 He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy. 8 Also when I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayer. 9 He hath enclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked. 10 He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places. 11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate. 12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. 13 He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins. 14 I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day. 15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. 16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes. 17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgot prosperity. 18 And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD: 19 Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. 20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. 21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22 It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24 The LORD is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. 26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. 27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. 28 He sits alone and keeps silence, because he hath borne it upon him. 29 He puts his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope. 30 He gives his cheek to him that smites him: he is filled full with reproach. 31 For the Lord will not cast off forever: 32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. 33 For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. 34 To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, 35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High, 36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approves not. 37 Who is he that says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord commands it not? 38 Out of the mouth of the Most High proceeds not evil and good? 39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? 40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. 41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. 42 We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned. 43 Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. 44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through. 45 Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people. 46 All our enemies have opened their mouths against us. 47 Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction. 48 Mine eye runs down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people. 49 Mine eye trickles down, and ceases not, without any intermission, 50 Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven. 51 Mine eye affects mine heart because of all the daughters of my city. 52 Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause. 53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me. 54 Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off. 55 I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon. 56 Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. 57 Thou drew near in the day that I called upon thee: thou said, Fear not. 58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life. 59 O LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause. 60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me. 61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me; 62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day. 63 Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their music. 64 Render unto them a recompense, O LORD, according to the work of their hands. 65 Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them. 66 Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD. When life is against you, you tend to have the woe is me attitude and blame anyone you can for the trouble in your life. Jeremiah was feeling the woe is me attitude, and blamed God for all the trouble he saw. Judah was in exile. Jerusalem lay in ruins. Only the poor and destitute remained in the city. There wasn’t even food to be found. It looked worse than it ever had in his life. Jeremiah isn’t the only one to have the woe is me attitude when trouble came his way. Elijah and David both felt the same way. Elijah after the Mount Carmel experience, when Jezebel vowed to kill him, and you can read many of David’s psalms that start out in a woeful manner. However, though Elijah and David started out pouring out their woes to God, God still came through for them. Jeremiah also started out pouring his woes to God, blaming him for all his trouble, yet he turned those woes into victory by acknowledging God’s mercy and faithfulness every day of his life. All David’s psalms of woe, ended in victory. Elijah’s woe ended in triumph. Jeremiah ended his woeful session by praying that God would take care of his enemies. Elijah and David did the same, when they acknowledged God’s faithfulness, they prayed for God to take care of their enemies. And God did. Job was another who went through a trying time in his life, and his friends came and sat with him, imploring him to confess his sin, not understanding what Job was going through or why. Job made a profound statement. Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. 16 He also shall be my salvation: for a hypocrite shall not come before him. This same mindset is the one Elijah, David, and Jeremiah had before God. They all knew that no matter what happened to them, God was in control, and he was faithful, merciful, and would go to battle for them against their enemies, and God would prevail. As Christians, you are not exempt from the woe is me attitude. God knows what you are going through. As Jeremiah poured out his troubles to God, you too can pour out your troubles to him. You will find when you do so, your attitude will change. You will go from pouring out your problems, to praising God for his faithfulness, and move to praying for God’s deliverance from your enemies. Your attitude then will be that no matter what happens, even should you die, your salvation has not been affected, and you will see your Savior and Lord face to face. Remember, there is nothing Satan can do to you in this life, when God is on your side, and you accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. Yes, you will have those times when life gets you down and you see more woes and foes than you see answers to your problems. Remember, that is when God is ready to do his very best for you and show you his mighty strength and faithfulness. Let’s pray: Father, help me see your faithfulness when my life is beset with woe and misery. Help me be like Jeremiah, Elijah, David, and Job and give you praise when Satan comes against me to destroy me. Help me realize there is nothing he can do to me because I am your child. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 16 December 2017 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay