Nobody likes, or desires, to be rejected and yet most of us have probably felt it before. And the struggle with rejection is that it speaks to us “truths” that aren’t necessarily true. In this blog we’ll look at Jeremiah’s feelings of rejection from Lamentations 3:46-54 and try to break down some of the truths that rejection declares that are in fact lies. Continue reading Lamentations 3:46-54 The Lies of Rejection
How does it feel to be punished? What thoughts about your “punisher” do you feel and are you led? I wonder how often we apply those feelings to God. In today’s 3 verses of Lamentations 3 we look at Jeremiah’s feelings towards the God who has punished him, and the people, for their actions. Continue reading Lamentations 3:43-45 The Balanced Scale of God
What does it mean to share the Gospel? What does it mean to enter into someone’s pain and share with them who you are, where you’ve been, and the fact that not only do they need God but WE need God? Our text today dives into Jeremiah rousing up those around him to turn to God WITH him. It’s a challenge for all us as we do life with one another. Continue reading Lamentations 3:37-42 From One Sinner to Another
In today’s Lamentations reflections we look at 3 simple verses that mean SO much. 3 verses that not only helped Jeremiah get to a place of hope (as we saw last week) but 3 verses that challenge ALL believers in how they live and act and the hope they have. Continue reading Lamentations 3:34-36 The Nature of God
We now enter into a long-awaited hope amid the pain and suffering. That regardless of what is going on there is still “hope.” And so the observer, while in the of all this pain and suffering, REMEMBERS the God of grace and hope. It’s a challenge for you and I to remember to look beyond where we are and remember just who God is. Continue reading Lamentations 3:20-33 Finding Hope
Our reflections on the final 3 verses of Lamentations 3 are long as we attempt to work through some pretty painful things. But it’s a work-through that is important as we begin to look at prayer, petitions, and the needs of God’s people while in the midst of pain and sadness. Continue reading Lamentations 2:20-22. Pain: the Beginning of Healing – Part 3
In today’s reflection of Lamentations we dive into the first 10 verses of chapter 2. Verses that reflect how God is systematically bringing about the destruction of his covenant Daughter. And while destruction IS taking place let us look deeper into what God is actually doing. Continue reading Lamentations 2:1-10 Pain: the Beginning of Healing – Part 1
What does it look like to sit in our own sins and dwell on them? What does it look like to recognize HOW we have been living and how God calls us to live? In today’s blog we continue through Lamentations 1 (12-16) and allow the woman to express her thoughts and feelings, in her own words, to the destruction that has befell her. And while we can sit and pass judgment let us not fail TO SEE US in the text too. Continue reading Lamentations 1:12-16 Sin, Destruction, and the Need for Redemption
In this blog we’ll begin our time of Lamentations by not only reading the first 11 verses, not only working to understand why she is destroyed, but what lessons CAN WE learn. How do we read from her painful experience, look to the hope of what comes, and yet still understand the impact of sin in our own lives? Continue reading Lamentations 1:1-11 A City, and People, Decimated by Sin
Now that the Psalm reflections are done there was a question of “What’s next?” Well, “whats next” is the book of Lamentations! So in this blog we’ll jump into a 10,000 foot view of the book and why it’s relevance then is still relevant today. Continue reading The Book of Lamentations: An Introduction
