The
Devotional
Comment:
When is the last time you went to a funeral? These events in
life for the most of us are averaged at two per year. Yet as we advance in age
that percentage increases; these are trying moments for anyone, young or old. In
some deaths we develop and anger that may stay with us a life time. We get
angry at God, at the person who died and if it is a death that is caused by
another person, that anger is transferred to them. We also become sorrowful of
heart, sometimes we feel we are to blame and lastly, but certainly not last
among a list of reasons and responses that are longer than our time this
morning permits, we might not have any emotional expression over the death of
someone we know of or related to.
Devotional:
A book in the Bible written by Jeremiah is called
Lamentations because he witnessed a death. Lamentations as a word means the
weeping and sorrow of someone under every emotional expression of experience. This
lament of Jeremiah is not over the loss of a friend, but the loss of an entire
city and the destructive results of the Southern Kingdom, Judah. This holocaust
or death of a people group is the final result of Divine discipline for the
nation as they turned their back on God.
God is faithful to His Word, He never fails and even though
He is longsuffering toward all nations and although He is not willing that
anyone should perish without personally accepting that Christ died and rose
again for their sin. His Word will accomplish His Will. Jeremiah’s lament is
not without the acknowledgement of this, notice Lamentations 3:1-66 Jeremiah
writes that as he views the devastation of Jerusalem that he has forgotten the
good that was there at one time and his hopes and dreams have perished, and all
of this is from the LORD.
Now at this moment in his life he is under heavy affliction,
roaming daily with the surviving remnant who are bent over because the comforts
of prosperity and the warmth of home are no longer possible for them. His soul
along with those with him is brought to its lowest point of sorrow. Yet or
still he is able to recall to mind the Word of God and therefore his hope will
be restored. The mercies of God are present with this remaining remnant and
they are not consumed with the rest. This for them is then a time to bring to
mind that God’s compassion does not fail and this is – TRUTH.
The Truth of God is the first step for one looking for
future HOPE. Jeremiah goes on to record that the compassions of the LORD, never
fail, in fact it is because of His Mercy that they are not consumed. The
entirety of God’s Word is Truth, and every one of His righteous judgments
endures forever, Psalm 119:160. The entire 119th Psalm and the book
of Lamentations were written around 586BC and as a side note, both Psalm 119
and Lamentations use the Hebrew alphabet to project the writers’ process of
thought, could this be a clue to the identity of the writer of Psalm 119.
Well now, back to my original intent this morning! Many
western saints of God today are fearful of their nation. We are beginning to
feel the effects of God’s discipline on nations that turn their backside to
God. First “Idolatry” the inclusion of many pagan religions and then “Immorality”
the acceptance of many pagan traditions are the TWO top abominations that bring
a nation to their end. Today in the United States of America we are witnesses
of these two major abominations that God will bring the nation to its’ end.
Here is my bottom line… National Repentance is needed, what
do I mean? If we as a nation are moving away from God, the Creator and if He is
upset with us because He only sees our backside? Then, if we are to change,
that is to turn around and FACE Him and agree that we have failed Him, this is
repentance and His mercy will follow! The results failing to do this will be
the same as the experience of Jeremiah the Prophet of God who understood this
principle. “Great is the faithfulness of God, He will have compassion on the
nation that repents, or He will have retribution on the nation that remains in
their sin. Which way are you and I facing our CREATOR today, even tomorrow and
forever.
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