KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Chapters: Lamentations 1-2
Message: Finding Hope Through Suffering
Hello My Friend,
The Book of Lamentations 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.
Jeremiah was no different than us faithful Christians today, he was not perfect, but he did try to live his life by God’s moral standards. Today, there is such a broad spectrum of Christians that you cannot tell who is one. What I mean by that is people somehow believe that if they are saved that means they are justified of any of their current actions. They take a blind eye to sin itself, try to eliminate anything that the Bible says in regards to their actions as being sin, and try to eliminate anyone who opposes them. And you wonder why God is so angry? The judgments God showed us throughout the Old Testament are there to show us that no sin goes unpunished, not matter how good you think you have it with God. Jeremiah, distraught about the state of Jerusalem laments over how desolate and broken it is.
“All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am become vile. 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. From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolate and faint all the day. The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall, the Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up. The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress. For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.” – Lamentations 1:11-16.
“all ye that pass by?” Society has developed a me, myself, and I mentality, and this too is the case of some Christians. They have twisted the Scriptures and in some cases eliminated them all together to make it seem as though you have right to live the way you want as long as you are saved. Let me tell you, you might be saved, but that does not mean you will not face the consequences for your actions before you meet Jesus face to face. The blind leading the blind, that is who they are and they will be the ones left trying to find their Comforter.
“And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.” – Luke 6:39,40.
The more sinful a nation of “Christians” becomes the more calamities and afflictions arise, God sends constant warnings for them to repent, He is so merciful and graceful that He does not want to see anyone perish, but there does come a time when judgment will come. Jeremiah does understand that all the destruction and affliction God’s people were facing was due to the sin that was in the nation. What he did not understand was why God made a covenant with Israel if He was not going to keep it, and if He even remembers the covenant He made with them.
“The Lord was as an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed up all her palaces: he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation. And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest. The Lord hath cast off his altar, he hath abhorred his sanctuary, he hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have made a noise in the house of the LORD, as in the day of a solemn feast. The LORD hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together. Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars: her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from the LORD.” – Lamentations 2:5-9.
“her prophets also find no vision from the LORD.” The saved who live in sin have a hard time seeing God’s hand in there lives, many even turn against Him because they face difficulties and cannot find Him. Saved or not, if we live in sin we cannot see God because He will step back and let us take the reins ourselves until we repent. God has not forgotten the covenant He made with His people, He will never leave nor forsake anyone who receives His Son as their Saviour, He will let them suffer in their sin until He either takes them home or repent.
“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” – I John 1:6-10.
We may face some difficulties when living by God’s moral standards, but it is better to suffer living righteously than unrighteously, because it is Jesus we have to face when we die. Let me tell you, no matter how faithful we are to God we are going to face some suffering, and we too will start to wonder where He is and why things do not change. It is okay to ask God questions, to get angry, and grieve, He understands and hears us. Jeremiah felt such grief that he pleads with Israel to return to God, but also had some questions for Him.
“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.
“and consider to whom thou hast done this.” Why do the righteous suffer so much? Why do we have to live in such poverty, get picked on just for knowing Jesus, get sick, be the victim, see loved ones die? I know there is a lot suffering that we go through, things we cannot possibly understand let alone comprehend, but we cannot give up on God. If you are a saved, born again Christian, the suffering does not last forever, it may last a long time, or even the rest of our life on earth, but you have something amazing and better waiting for you when see Him. When we seek answers from God, we may or may not find them, but we can find peace, hope, and joy, while awaiting for Him to come and get us, those who suffer in the world go through the same things we do, but at least we have Jesus.
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” – Romans 8:16-18,24-26.
Jesus Christ Magnified: “For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.” – Lamentations 1:16. Jesus weeps and feels deep sorrow for the lost, He is the only One who can comfort the soul.
Today’s Prayer: God, I do not 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 sorrows with You as they draw closer to You and trust You. Give us your power, wisdom, grace, 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
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://imfollowingjesus.com/follow-Jesus.html
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Missed A Message: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Visit I’m Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I’m Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2016 I’m Following Jesus, All rights reserved.