EXPAND TO READ: LAMENTATIONS 4 (HCSB)
EXPAND TO READ: LAMENTATIONS 5 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verses 5:16-17): I have done many things in my life that I am certain are not pleasing to You, Father. As a result of those sins, I do feel similar to what this verse describes as having a heart that is sick. I often find it difficult to open my heart to others, especially You and my wife, due to all the pain and scarring over it. Please forgive me for living with a “locked down” heart, Father. Forgive me for often closing my heart off to everyone, including You. Help me to heal my heart and make it better, so that I may be better at opening it to You and my wife.
PROMISE (verse 4:6): The promise here is rather cruel, but it is still a promise. You promise us that the punishment for Your people in Jerusalem will be greater than that of Sodom. Sodom was destroyed instantly out of existence. That wasn’t bad in Your eyes, likely because it was essentially showing them mercy by taking them away in an instant rather than allowing them to suffer for a bit. For Your people from Jerusalem, You not only destroyed their town and killed many of them, but You also left many to essentially be tortured from pain, starvation, banishment, disgrace, etc. I can only imagine how difficult and painful it was for them to endure all of that, but You gave them plenty of warnings and ultimately made a promise of great suffering that You were faithful to.
ATTITUDE (verse 5:15): Just as stated in my sin confession, I have often struggled with my heart fitness in the emotional sense. This verse says, “joy has left our hearts” and I have felt that way for a long time. I have felt like no matter what I do, I am not good enough to deserve any joy in this life. I feel that every time I do try to experience joy, something happens that completely crushes me. Help me to extinguish this negative attitude, Father, so I may experience the joy-filled heart that only You can bring into my life.
COMMAND (verse 4:22): This particular verse could really be a promise and a command. Here You promise that Zion’s punishment is complete and that You will no longer exile them. Then You also promise Edom that their punishment is not complete and that You will expose their sins. The reason I feel this is also a command is that last part. I feel that it’s almost like a police investigation where they say something like “tell us the truth or we will expose the truth ourselves.” Therefore, I feel it’s a command as well, because I really see it as You telling us to expose our sins or else You will. The last thing any of us want is for You to expose us about something we already know, because if we expose ourselves, then there will be correction and not necessarily punishment like Edom and Zion received.
EXAMPLE (verse 5:15-22): These few verses in this Scripture are such a powerful prayer for restoration. It shows how deeply wounded at the Spirit level Your people are. They expose themselves and their hurts, then they come to You, essentially begging for mercy and forgiveness. They do not stop there, however, because the very last part they essentially humble themselves by saying “unless You have completely rejected us and are intensely angry with us.” What this last statement essentially means to me is something lik Father, please forgive me for this and no longer inflict punishment on me, unless it is in Your will to continue.
*DAILY NOTE: For pretty much my entire life I have lived in a way that I “bottle things up” in my heart, which has produced a very hardened and scarred heart over the years, unfortunately. This has led me down the road of having a “heart that is sick” as You speak of in this Scripture. Help me to be better at softening my heart and recovering from the pain of my past, Father. Please continue to work in me so that through You I am able to overcome all of these past pains and let them go to You. Help to restore the joy in my heart so that I can overflow that joy to others, Father. I used to be an extremely happy, joyful person who was kind of the “life of the party” in a sense. Nowadays, I’ve become more of the complainer who doesn’t really want to socialize with anyone. Help me to heal enough to be the extravert I used to be, Father, so that I can bring Your joy, Your love, and Your wisdom to others in a joyful and righteous manner.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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