Thursday, June 09, 2011

Jeremiah & Lamentations

Below is a devotional I wrote for our current "Year of the Word" emphasis.


The state of Colorado boasts over 50 "fourteeners." These are mountain peaks that rise to heights of 14,000 feet or more. Likely the most famous of all the fourteeners is Pikes Peak. Pikes Peak is not the tallest mountain in Colorado, but it is uniquely special because it stands alone on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains near Colorado Springs. Some say that on a clear day Pikes Peak can be seen from as far away as the Colorado-Kansas state line over 150 miles to the east. Verse 1 from “America The Beautiful” even references this when we sing “For purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain.”


Pikes Peak comes to mind as I read the central part of Lamentations 3. Not only is it a beautiful passage about God's mercy and love, it rises out of the lowlands of pain and loss that dominates most the book. Even as Jeremiah recounts for us the devastation of the fall of Judah; even as he describes God's anger as his judgment falls on a backslidden nation; even there, Jeremiah finds the loyal and merciful love of God. He encourages us with a vision of God's love being recreated every morning. Be reminded as you read through one of the saddest book of the Bible that we have immediate and constant access to God's love and mercy. Even in Lamentations it isn't "lament" that dominates the landscape: it's God's love.


Take a few minutes and read Lamentations 3.
  • Have you ever felt unlovable?
  • Have your past actions (or current situation) left you in a place of regret without hope?
  • How has your relationship with God helped deliver you from that place?
  • How have you experienced God’s love in your own life?

No comments: