King
James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning
Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Wednesday,
August 26, 2015
Chapters: Lamentations
1-2
Message Title: An Expected End To The Suffering

Hello
My Friend,

The Book of Lamentations is the twenty-fifth
book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains five chapters. The
timeline for these events took place approximately 588 BC. It was
written by Jeremiah to the Jews who were captive in Babylon, the
purpose of the book was to get the Jews to repent and restore their
relationship with God. What we are to learn from the book is that God
is faithful in both judgment and mercy. “It
is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his
compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy
faithfulness.” - Lamentations 3:22,23.

Lament,
to feel deep sorrow and grief, so much that nothing is of comfort,
all you feel is pain in your heart, soul, and spirit. This is the way
Jeremiah felt when things began to settle after the fall of
Jerusalem, he gets kind of angry that no one feels the same as he
does. “How doth the city sit solitary, that
was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great
among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she
become tributary! She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on
her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all
her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her
enemies. Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and
because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she
findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the
straits. Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see
if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me,
wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.”
- Lamentations 1:1-3,12.

Jeremiah truly
understands that all the destruction and affliction God's people were
facing was due to the sin that was in the nation. True Christians see
all the destruction of their once godly nations and it angers and
grieves them because no matter how much they try it gets worse. We
all become afflicted by others sins, the only thing we can do to find
comfort is keep looking to Jesus, reminding ourselves that the
affliction is only temporary. “For I
know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts
of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye
call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken
unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for
me with all your heart.” - Jeremiah
29:11-13.

No matter how strong our faith in God there does
come times where we start to wonder if He will ever change the
situation. Jeremiah understands all the destruction that took place
was in God's hands, he pleads with them to return to God, and then
turns his grief into a question for God. “Arise,
cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine
heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands
toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger
in the top of every street. Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou
hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a
span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary
of the Lord? The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets:
my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast slain
them in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, and not pitied.
Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that
in the day of the LORD'S anger none escaped nor remained: those that
I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed.”
- Lamentations 2:19-22.

When we are feeling deep sorrow,
it can anger us when no one seems to care about the things that are
going on, even as though God is against us too. If we are not
careful, things like depression, bitterness, and hatred creep in. If
you ever wonder why the suicide rate is so high, it's because hurting
people cry out every day, but feel as though no one hears them. In
reality, God is speaking to us, but we cannot hear Him because we
only hear the sorrows in our head telling us there is no hope. We
must remember that God is always with us, He is not against us, and
He loves us. “My substance was not hid
from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the
lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being
unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in
continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How
precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum
of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the
sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.”
- Psalms 139:15-18.

When faced with circumstances beyond
our control, especially when there seems to be no end to them, they
tend to cloud our faith in God. Quite often, God may step back a bit
to allow us to think on these things, but He is always with us, He's
just waiting for our faith to show up. And it's perfectly fine to ask
God questions, many times the only way we can draw closer to Him is
by grief and sorrow, and while He doesn't want to see any of us
suffer, He knows we are unlikely to seek His presence without it.
When we seek answers from God, we may or may not find the answers to
our questions, but we can find peace, hope, and joy, while awaiting
the expected end. “For behold this
selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness
it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what
indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what
zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to
be clear in this matter.” - 2 Corinthians
7:11.

Today's Prayer:
God, I don't know anyone who loves to feel pain and sorrow, and it
simply does nothing for our morale either, but whatever You allow us
to go through You have a reason for it. The only way we can truly be
at peace and find comfort and even an end to the suffering is through
You. Lord, we need You, so many people are full of sorrow and do not
know where to go, break through the door, open their hearts to see
that You are their help. Great things always come to those who endure
their affliction with You as they draw closer to You and trust You.
Give us your power, wisdom, and strength to increase our faith, and
let us see You do great things in our lives. In Jesus' name.
Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for
you,
Christina

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