Lamentations is certainly not the most cheerful book in the Bible and with good reason. The Jews are experiencing some of the worst trials of their history. Jerusalem and the Temple have been destroyed. Most of the people have been carried off into exile. Those left behind are in deep mourning and near despair. Yet they must express this sorrow somehow, and the poetry of this book helps them do so.
In chapter 3, the writer (perhaps the prophet Jeremiah) groans under affliction. His enemies have worn him down. He walks in darkness, desolate and terrified and broken. All around him are poverty and exhaustion. He feels like he is a target. Something in the shadows is just waiting to ambush him. He has no peace, no dignity, apparently no future.
Yet this writer does have hope. “The favors of the Lord are not exhausted, His mercies are not spent,” he proclaims. Indeed, God renews His mercies every morning. He remains faithful. The writer is silence and still before God, waiting for Him, seeking Him. The writer accepts what God allows him to suffer, knowing that God has His reasons and His own perfect timing. God may punish (and indeed people deserve that punishment), but He also takes pity. He will raise up His people once again. He will console them and draw them to Himself in love, showering down an abundance of mercy.
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