Every thought, decision, and action that we take either gets us closer to or further away from our dreams and the life we want to live.
Wisdom is making choices today that our future self will thank us for.
Decisions, good or bad, stack on top of themselves. Create the life you want by stacking good thoughts, good choices, and good days.
But if you stack too many bad days, it will catch up to you.
That is what happened to God’s people, and the book of Lamentations talks about the consequences of their actions.
In Deuteronomy, God told the people of Israel through Moses there are two ways you can live: If you live within the covenant by loving Him with all your soul, heart, and mind, and if you are obedient to His word, He will heap blessings on you. But if you don’t, then there will be curses, consequences, and punishments.
As good and great as our God is, there is an end to God’s patience. For generations and centuries, God’s people refused to obey God, so in 586 BC, God raised the Babylonian army to conquer Jerusalem and destroy the nation.
Too often, we don’t truly get the message until it’s too late, and sorrow for sin didn’t come until was too late. The Book of Lamentations was written after the destruction of their people.
The word lament means a passionate expression of grief or sorrow, and it is a book of true confessions, as the people lamented and felt sorrow and grief for their sins.
But it’s also a book that shows us how to respond to bad choices.
Be Honest
The first step is having true honesty about what happened and your role in it.
It is written in Lamentations 5:16: “The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned!”
There was no hiding from the fact that though they were once on top of the world and flowing with blessings, those blessings were no longer flowing because of sin and the decisions they made.
Be Honest About the Cause
So often when bad things happen, we find something or someone to blame. In Lamentations, they didn’t do that. They blamed themselves and took ownership of their actions.
In Lamentations 3:42, it is written, “We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven.”
They were being punished because of their transgressions and rebellions. There are often many different reasons for our lack of success, but we have to be honest about our role in the life we live.
Have Faith
But the time is always right to choose and do what’s right. In the middle of all the destruction that the people were experiencing, the writer of Lamentations called on God and God heard Him.
Their enemies ‘opened their mouths against them, causing them panic, pitfalls, devastation, and destruction (Lamentations 3:46-48). They were talked about, hunted, and destroyed so badly that their endurance perished, they forgot what happiness was and had no more hope in God (Lamentations 3:17-18).
But they called on God’s name from the depths of the pit, and He heard their plea (Lamentations 3:55-56).
It is written: You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear!’” (Lamentations 3:56-57)
God has promised to love us, protect us, and bless us. Our job is to listen to Him, learn from Him, and obey Him. When we do, He blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others. When we don’t, consequences come.
Seek God first, through the good and the bad. Pray, and listen to Him. Read your Bible. Seek God's word, guidance, and peace.
“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:25-26 ESV
THIS WEEK
1 - What is one thing that you need to keep doing or do more of so that you can live the life you want to live?
2 - What is one thing you do that keeps you from living the life you want to live?
3 - What can you do to overcome that barrier?
For a Google doc version of this devo, click here: Week 27 | Lamentations, Confession, and Faith
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