What is some evidence of 神’s faithfulness in your life?
We think of the blessings of 神 when we look around at all that He has done for us. We think of the verses from 林entations 3: “Because of the 主’s great love we are 不 consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Perhaps you know of someone who has decided that 神 is 不 faithful 因为 of all the evil that is currently happening in our world. But consider the context of 林entations 3. As Jeremiah was writing, Jerusalem was in flames. The people of Judah were in 流亡. His land was in ruins, and he was crushed in body and spirit. Take in these words:
I have seen affliction by the rod of the 主的愤怒.
He has made me walk in darkness rather than light;
He has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long.
He has made my skin and my flesh grow old and has broken my bones.
He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
He has walled me in so I can不 escape; he has weighed me down with chains.
Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer.
He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows.
I have been deprived of peace; so I say, “My splendor is gone and all that I had 希望d from the 主.”
I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have 希望:
Because of the 主’s great love we are 不 consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.*
这 is the context of these wonderful verses that we use so often for encouragement and worship! Is it significant that the verses come in the middle of a book about destruction, 流亡, 悲伤, 疼痛, 希望lessness? Did Jeremiah’s honest dissection of his 希望less circumstances lead to the recognition that 神 alone was his 希望? Is it possible that it’s only 因为 of the misery that Jeremiah was able to see the faithfulness of 神 in vivid color?
In the senior seminar for communication disorders students, we study the language of lament through a discussion of the book Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy. In this book, author Mark Vroegop presents a four-part outline for lament, showing examples from the scriptures:
转向神
When we find ourselves with 疼痛, 混乱, 疲惫, disappointment, it seems we have three choices: to turn away from 神 in anger, to deny our 疼痛 and put on a happy face, or to express our negative feelings to 他. 林ent requires us to turn to 神. It acknowledges that He knows our 悲伤s, but it invites us to talk to 他 about it all. It is a way to entrust our situation to 他 in faith.
State your Complaint
In this step, we honestly tell 神 what the problem is. Some may have issue with the word “complaint,” but listen to the words of Psalm 142:2: “I pour out my complaint before 他; before 他 I tell my trouble.” While it may feel wrong to complain to 神, it actually expresses that we trust 他 with our circumstances. The psalmists complain that they’re being pursued by evil men, that they have physical ailments, that 神 seems to be ignoring their 疼痛, or taking too long. And remember those complaints of Jeremiah! Their words give us a script for expressing our own complaints to 神.
大胆地问
We can be specific in our requests for 神 to act in our circumstances. The psalmists make some very bold requests: “Destroy the wicked!”, “Help us, O 神; deliver us and forgive our sins”, “Remember me, O 主 . . . come to my aid”, “Remember Your covenant, defend Your cause.” And listen to the bold prayer of Psalm 74: “Take Your hand from the folds of Your garment and destroy them!” It is amazing to know that there is a 神-inspired script to implore the 主 to act, to ask 他 for Red Sea miracles, or remind 他 of His promises (though perhaps we are the ones who need reminding). We can be honest in what we want the 主 to do in our circumstances.
State your Trust
这 is the turning point in every lament. 这 step in lament anchors our soul 不 in our circumstances, but in 神’s character. Sometimes in the Psalms it is simply “I trust You, 主,” almost as if the author isn’t sure he believes it, but he writes it in faith. When we state our trust, we reaffirm our confidence in 神, that He will act in accordance with His character, His righteousness, 他的正义. 林entations 3:21-24 is Jeremiah’s statement of trust, written shortly after he declares his 希望less situation.
Through the study and practice of lament, our students have learned to trust 神 in the midst of hard things. 林ent does 不 fix our circumstances, but it is the minor key song that addresses the ache of our hearts before the only One who can heal our 疼痛 and bring 希望 to our hardship. And like Jeremiah discovered, lament anchors our soul in 神’s faithfulness!
最后, in Psalm 56 David writes, “Record my lament; list my tears on Your scroll — are they 不 in your record?” Our tears will 不 be in vain! He hears our lament. And in the waiting, we are filled with 希望!
Associate Professor of Communication Disorders
* 林. 1-5, 7-8, 12, 17a,
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