Bible Passage: “Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old.” (Lamentations 5:21 NIV)
Scripture Reading: Lamentations 5:1-22
Men like things that work.
When it doesn’t, who among us doesn’t like a bit of a project?
Whether it’s a small engine, a leaky faucet, an announcement that needs to be worded just right, a schedule that doesn’t align, or a road trip that hits all the destinations, guys love to make things work.
If we can’t fix it? Well, it goes in the garbage.
Sadly, many spiritual practices can fall in that category. When we don’t feel that reading the Bible is producing any growth, the habit fades. When prayers feel hollow and ineffective, why bother?
Jeremiah’s prayer at the end of Lamentations challenges us with something different.
Lamentations doesn’t end with a tidy bow. There is no restoration of Israel, no return to covenant faithfulness. Jeremiah remains standing in the heaps of rubble, the ruins of Israel’s glory.
Yet he prays.
He prays in hope. In confidence that there are future days, days not of mourning and lament but of joy and singing, of harvest and celebration, of peace and prosperity, of communion with one another and with Yahweh.
Lamentations leaves us with a perspective, an approach, a posture toward life and toward God.
We continue.
We pray even when the outcome is not certain. We serve, even when those we serve may be ungrateful or undeserving. We work, though the project may fail. We give, though we may not have enough to spare. We press on, knowing that the end of the story is not in our hands but in God’s, who can see the end of days.
Jeremiah stood in the rubble and prayed; he prayed expectantly even though all around him shouted that it was pointless. Jeremiah looked to Yahweh amid the dirt and debris, amongst the ruins and shattered pieces of lives.
When life sends you reeling, how do you lean forward in expectancy of God’s hand continuing to move? Our jobs may vanish, our leadership may be ignored, we may stumble as husbands, fathers, friends, employees, and followers of Jesus.
The ruin of our lives may lay smoldering at our feet.
God is not surprised.
Persist. Expect.
God is still there.
Prayer: God, whether I fail or even just my desires are not met, it is often hard to continue on in faithful practice. I want to maintain a posture of seeking You. Help me to look past false hopes and easy fixes to the end where You are calling me. Especially when I stand in the middle of the rubble and cannot see what will come. Amen.
Reflection: Do you persist? In prayer, in Bible reading, in connection with others, in faithful reliance on God? What makes you falter? Take it to the Lord in honesty, and ask for His strength to keep going.
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