Insight on Lamentations 3

sermonindex Oct 3, 2007

Lamentations 3:20-32

My soul still remembers
And sinks within me.
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I hope in Him!"
The Lord is ~~[b]~~good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.[/b]
It is good that ~~[b]~~one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.[/b]
~~[b]~~It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.[/b]
~~[b]~~Let him sit alone and keep silent,
Because God has laid it on him;[/b]
~~[b]~~Let him put his mouth in the dust-[/b]
There may yet be hope.
Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him,
And be full of reproach.
For the Lord will not cast off forever.
Though He causes grief,
Yet He will show compassion
According to the multitude of His mercies

Curious about these verses, this passage keeps coming to me over the years. I have a interpretation of this, but not sure. I highlighted certain key verses in bold that really speak to me.
The promise that God is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him is evident what that means. However, the rest can be somewhat confusing because taking it literal that the Lord would want me to sit alone and be quiet, hope and wait quietly, putting my face in prayer and repentance. Being alone is not good, but does God call people to be alone for a time and what would indicate on being alone?

I have wrestled with the passage for awhile and not sure what God wants from me? I have asked what He would desire from me, but I can't seem to hear clearly? need some counsel?

blessings

L

Logic Oct 3, 2007

reformer wrote:
However, the rest can be somewhat confusing because taking it literal that the Lord would want me to sit alone and be quiet, hope and wait quietly, putting my face in prayer and repentance. Being alone is not good, but does God call people to be alone for a time and what would indicate on being alone?

Being separarted form this world often puts peoplr alone in a crowd.
Even the other cristians that arn't as in a sanctified posistion would seem to have left you alone.

sermonindex Oct 3, 2007

Being separarted form this world often puts peoplr alone in a crowd.

That never came across my mind, but it is very interesting though, because I am pretty much, the "opinionated" one in sunday school class. They think I am too serious. thank you for this though, it makes such good sense!

blessings

I

IRONMAN Oct 3, 2007

bro Reformer

Greetings in JEsus' Name by Whose Blood we are Saved.AMEN.

this section of the word has been quite pertinent to me over the last couple of months because i have been in much need of hope. At times i despair over all i have yet to repent of in light of the Goal i am pressing toward but this verse in that section is a turning point:

~~[b]~~This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, "The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I hope in Him!"
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
[/b]

in spite of my failings and all, GOd knows i am striving toward Him out of a desire to please Him. Even if in pressing into HIm He tarries in lifting a burden or loosing a bond, i know He will do so in response to my repeated cries. the repeated crying on our part is out of a Knowledge which gives us Hope, that God is ever Merciful and is seeking to make us more like Jesus and if this is our desire, He will honour our efforts toward that end. Sometimes it requires waiting long periods without explanation until the salvation comes.

that it is good for a man to bear the yoke in youth spoke volumes to me when i reflected on some experiences of my youth. i don't know if any of you have ever used cattle to till the land. anyhow, they must be trained to bear the yoke from youth or else you will not get them to do anything. i remember when we'd go to the kraal early in the morning to get the team out, all the other cattle would be very skittish except the ones we used, we'd get them out, attach them to the yoke and go about our business. so well trained were they that even as a young boy of perhaps 10 or 11, i could lead them wherever i needed to go without fear of being trampled.

the latter part about being sat down in the dust and offering ones cheek i believe speaks to periods when we await a move of God in our lives and we are mistreated in some way or another in that period. Whether we are misunderstood, misjudged or whatever manner of disgrace we suffer, even exposure of sin which may lead to unnecessary grief from others. in the end, even if we don't receive compassion from men:

~~[b]~~For the Lord will not cast off forever.Though He causes grief,
Yet He will show compassion
According to the multitude of His mercies
[/b]

Grace and Peace are ours in Jesus.AMEN.

sermonindex Oct 3, 2007

that it is good for a man to bear the yoke in youth spoke volumes to me when i reflected on some experiences of my youth.

I think though are youth also could be a youth in Christ. I have been a Christian for 15 years, but out of the 15 years, in the beginning, I was ignorant about the things of Christ. Over the past several years my walk has changed drastically. I would consider myself young in the Lord, even though I am 37 years old.

the latter part about being sat down in the dust and offering ones cheek i believe speaks to periods when we await a move of God in our lives and we are mistreated in some way or another in that period. Whether we are misunderstood, misjudged or whatever manner of disgrace we suffer, even exposure of sin which may lead to unnecessary grief from others. in the end, even if we don't receive compassion from men:

well said. Considering my walk and what i am going through, I think often if God has palced on me a burden of sorrow, repentance and confession not just for me, but for the church? Because what I have been noticing is that some of my brothers in the Lord at church, not necassarily distance themselves from me because I will voice my concern about the church( if asked or if conversation goes that direction), I desire Gods Holiness and Love in my life, but greived when others around me, seem not to care for those things. Some just want to be "churched". you hit the nail here

Whether we are misunderstood, misjudged or whatever manner of disgrace we suffer, even exposure of sin which may lead to unnecessary grief from others

; we greif for them and the state of the body of Christ, but I also can grieve, because the weight it can carry and wonder why I feel and go through this!!

Oh how I wish we could get back to the Cross of Jesus Christ in our churches. And not worry about entertaining ourselves with short anitdotes and cute little sermons that appeal to the masses!

Grace to you
Mike

I

IRONMAN Oct 3, 2007

bro Reformer, Greetings in Jesus' Name by Whose Blood we are Saved.AMEN.

I think though are youth also could be a youth in Christ. I have been a Christian for 15 years, but out of the 15 years, in the beginning, I was ignorant about the things of Christ. Over the past several years my walk has changed drastically. I would consider myself young in the Lord, even though I am 37 years old.

indeed i agree completely that the application isn't just youth in terms of years but in terms of experience.

well said. Considering my walk and what i am going through, I think often if God has palced on me a burden of sorrow, repentance and confession not just for me, but for the church? Because what I have been noticing is that some of my brothers in the Lord at church, not necassarily distance themselves from me because I will voice my concern about the church( if asked or if conversation goes that direction), I desire Gods Holiness and Love in my life, but greived when others around me, seem not to care for those things. Some just want to be "churched". you hit the nail here

i wonder sometimes if this burden is given to more people who don't acknowledge it or refuse to. at any rate we do of come off a weird or overly serious to our brethren and then heaven forbid we mess up...we get the tar and feather treatment or we are treated as though we are less. perhaps a part of the distancing sometimes is out of a fear of the responsibilty of having to yield/conform to something which our Lord may say through us, the less we hear, the less we have to change...then again some of us seek God for blessing and not favour, the 2 are vastly different for even the wicked are blessed for their work, blessed with health and so on but they aren't favoured by God...

as surely as we grieve for the body, we grieve for ourselves because if we are honest, we know we have much work to do, much to repent of yet, but bless God that He is good to those whose hope is in Him and who wait on Him.AMEN.

Grace and PEace are ours in Jesus.AMEN.