Jeremiah lived in a difficult period of history. Called by God to prophesy about judgment and the need for repentance, he witnessed Israel’s captivity, the conquest of God’s people by the ruthless Babylonian empire. Scorned by leaders in his own country who wanted an easy message of hope and carte-blanche to carry on with their idolatrous disobedience, Jeremiah clearly struggled. Traditionally, the book of Lamentations has been ascribed to his authorship, and this lament shows his grief and sorrow plainly. Anyone who believes that following God leads to an easy, trouble-free life will have difficulty maintaining this view after reading this book!
Jeremiah spoke of having seen affliction and walking in darkness (Lam 3:1-2, 6), of bitterness and hardship, including physical pain. (Lam 3:4-6) He knew the pain of unanswered prayer, of God’s silence (Lam 3:7-9). He knew all about crushed hopes (Lam 3:13-19). Yet at the same time that he knew the weight of crushed hope, he also knew how to keep on hoping. In the midst of his lament, we read ‘Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.‘ (Lam 3:22-23)
Jeremiah knew how to talk to himself. The words we say to ourselves, in the inner recesses of our hearts, words which are rarely, if ever, heard by anyone else, are crucial. Jeremiah’s ‘inner dialogue’ said, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” (Lam 3:24) He reminded himself of God’s truth: ‘The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.‘ (Lam 3:25-26) He was prepared to seek God alone, to wait in silence, to ponder God’s character, even when his own personal experiences did not seem to tally with that description. He reminded himself, ‘For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.’ (Lam 3:31-33)
It is extremely difficult to keep perspective and hope in the midst of trials and tragedies. The only way we can do this is to remind ourselves of God’s truth, which does not change. It’s wonderful when we feel God’s presence, when we see His answers to prayer, when we experience His deliverance. But it’s perhaps even more wonderful when we lift our hands in praise or bow in humble adoration when life seems to make no sense to us at all and darkness surrounds us. God does not despise the sacrifices of a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart. (Ps 51:17)