Our eyes continually failed us as we looked in vain for help. From our watchtowers we watched for a nation that could not rescue us.
Into the Text
While yesterday’s reading from Lamentations 3 provided some form of relief and hope, we are brought back to the hard reality of inhumane suffering in chapter four. The Babylonians invaded Jerusalem, hunted its people, and led captives away. They destroyed even more of the cities in Judah, leaving the region in total devastation and its remaining people in sub-human degradation.
Judah looked “in vain for help” as they begged the nation of Egypt for assistance. Egypt withdrew and left Judah to suffer the Babylonian invasion.
How often do we look for help in all the wrong places? In the end, we realize none of the things we looked to can save us. Perhaps we have had others tell us to look to the Lord, turn to Him, and ask for help, but we refused. It seemed too insignificant to talk to the Lord about it, or perhaps we didn’t quite know how to approach God about what was on our hearts.
We can find ourselves with this attitude when it comes to lament. We don’t understand what is happening. We want to scream and ask, “Why?! How long, O Lord?!” but we aren’t quite sure whether such outbursts are appropriate when speaking to the Creator of heaven and earth.
The practice of lament paves a way for a burdened, suffering heart to approach the throne of grace. It not only allows but even encourages the believer to come to the Lord and share our complaints.
The suffering around us can be overwhelming; the right response is faith in the Lord who is in control of it all. We can praise Him for giving us a voice in such times—the voice and practice of lament.
Prayer
God, I so often look to other places to find help and comfort. I know that help can only be found in you. Help me to turn to you first when I am faced with hardship. Amen.