Jerusalem
was engulfed in flames, and the prophet Jeremiah wept. His prediction of divine
judgment had largely gone unheeded. Now his terrible prophecy had come to pass
with horrifying vividness. The short book of Lamentations records the prophet’s
grieving process over the destruction of Jerusalem.
Jeremiah
organized the book around the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, using a
technique of alphabetic acrostics to aid the reader in memorizing the passages
more easily. But using this technique also shows that he didn’t cut short his
grieving process. He took deliberate and intentional time to reflect upon and
even to write down his heartbreak. You might say he was learning to grieve from
A to Z.
In the
midst of his grief, the comfort of God surfaced. Reminders of God’s sovereignty
and goodness gave the prophet hope as he faced the future: “The Lord will not
cast off forever. Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according
to the multitude of His mercies” (Lam. 3:31-32).
If you’ve
recently experienced a painful loss, remember to take adequate time to grieve
and to reflect upon God’s goodness. Then you will be able to experience His
comfort and hope for the future.
God
allows sorrows and tears today
to open our hearts to the joys of tomorrow. (RBC)
to open our hearts to the joys of tomorrow. (RBC)
