Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Lamentations+005

Lamentations 5 (ESV)

15 The joy of our hearts has ceased;
our dancing has been turned to mourning.
16 The crown has fallen from our head;
woe to us, for we have sinned!
17 For this our heart has become sick,
for these things our eyes have grown dim,
18 for Mount Zion which lies desolate;
jackals prowl over it.
19 But you, O Lord, reign forever;
your throne endures to all generations.
20 Why do you forget us forever,
why do you forsake us for so many days?
21 Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored!
Renew our days as of old—
22 unless you have utterly rejected us,
and you remain exceedingly angry with us.

REFLECTION:

When it is full of sorrow and there seems to be no way out, people who truly believe in God should pray and cry to the Lord with hope. Jeremiah prayed sincerely for his people towards the end of the lamentations. Although he mentioned that the righteous God “was angry with us,” God is also a God full of love and compassion, just as Micah 7:18 said: God “does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.” The Lamentations of Jeremiah show us a double picture: on the one hand, God’s warnings and admonitions have been repeatedly despised by the people of Jerusalem, so that they were finally punished by God and suffered a great disaster, all their life goals on earth were collapsed; on the other hand, although God stayed away from them, He did not give up on them. That was their greatest hope. Even though they had sinned deeply in the past, as long as they changed their minds, God would revive them. Their only hope was in God. Today, we also suffer from suffering and grief for various reasons. Jeremiah’s lament reminds us: Our suffering and grief should lead us to God, not to distance us from Him. We have suffering in the world, but we must not forget that our Lord Jesus has overcome the world, we must grasp the Lord’s promise, and He is our only hope in suffering!

PRAYER:

Pray for the sufferings of yourself and of those around you that you care about. Regardless of the cause of this suffering, which we understand or do not understand, ask God to enlighten us in our sufferings so that we will not be discouraged; ask God to give us peace and hope in our hearts, focusing only on God’s love and faithfulness, and relying on God wholeheartedly, and bravely continue on the heavenly path.

HYMN:

Still – youtu.be/0gF8_8ypzVA