SCRIPTURE:
31 For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. 32 Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. 33 For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow.
34 If people crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land, 35 if they deprive others of their rights in defiance of the Most High, 36 if they twist justice in the courts— doesn’t the Lord see all these things?
37 Who can command things to happen without the Lord’s permission? 38 Does not the Most High send both calamity and good? 39 Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins?
40 Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord. 41 Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say, 42 “We have sinned and rebelled, and you have not forgiven us.
Lamentations 3:31-42
OBSERVATION:
Why does God allow bad things to happen? Why does life feel like it’s out of control? Is there any hope left in bad situations?
The book of Lamentations is the prophet Jeremiah’s reflection on an unthinkable tragedy: the Fall of Jerusalem. Written shortly after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, Jeremiah saw this disaster with his own eyes. Because of Judah’s sins, God allowed the Babylonians to besiege Jerusalem, plunder its treasures, and burn the city to the ground. Jeremiah saw the city’s seemingly indestructible walls be torn to pieces, Solomon’s Temple fall to the ground, people die at the hands of armies, and the remainder of them be exiled from their homeland to a far off country.
Imagine what it was like to be in Jeremiah’s shoes. Imagine the fear, anxiety, and despair he felt as he saw His home being bulldozed to the ground. It would be an understatement to say that life felt out of control. However, despite the darkness he experienced, He reminds us of three important truths we must remember when life feels out of control:
1. God does not delight in our pain.
“31 For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. 32 Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. 33 For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow.” (Lamentations 3:31-33 NLT)
God does not like seeing you suffer. As a good earthly father does not enjoy seeing his kids in pain, your Heavenly father does not like seeing you in pain. In fact, it hurts his heart to see you suffer. God does not enjoy your hurt or your sorrow.
2. Nothing happens unless God allows it.
“37 Who can command things to happen without the Lord’s permission? 38 Does not the Most High send both calamity and good? 39 Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins?” (Lamentations 3:37-39 NLT)
Nothing in life happens unless God allows it. Note, however, that God is never the source of evil. Sin is the source of evil. God does not have one drop of bad in His being; we, on the other hand, do. God is not the source of evil, but he sometimes allows us to experience a taste of our own bad to accomplish His good purposes. In the case of Judah, it was their sins, not God, that caused their tragedy. But God allowed it to happen because He would use it to accomplish His purposes.
3. God allows bad things to happen to prevent worse things from happening.
40 Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord. 41 Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say, 42 “We have sinned and rebelled, and you have not forgiven us.(Lamentations 3:40-42 NLT)
God allows our lives to feel out of control to lead us back to Him. When life feels out of control, God is never the source of chaos. It’s us and our sins that are. It’s the devil and his demonic forces that wreak havoc on our lives. Can God stop all of this from happening? Yes, of course! If even the waves, the wind, and demons bow at His name, God can, indeed, stop all of this bad from happening. So why doesn’t He stop it? To lead us to repentance. God allows bad things to happen to catch our attention––for if He didn’t allow these things to happen, we would be led into even greater calamity.
APPLICATION:
In recent days, we as a society have been exposed to more and more out-of-control situations. In the past month alone, we have experienced not one, but two hurricanes in Hawaii. And that’s not to mention the personal storms you’ve been facing in your own life. In my own family, we’ve already experienced the deaths of three family members. Life seems increasingly out of control. Yet, it’s in these out of control situations that God is reminding us that He is Lord.
When life feels out of control, remember that God does not delight in your suffering. He cries with you, He empathizes with you, and He remains with you. When life feels out of control, He wraps His arms around you and consoles you in your pain. “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book” (Psalm 56:8 NLT).
When life feels out of control, remember that God is still in control. Nothing happens unless He allows it to happen. And He only allows things to happen––even tragedies––because He has plans to turn it around for good. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 NIV).
When life feels out of control, remember that God is leading you to repentance. God is allowing these things to happen to get your attention. God is not the source of evil; sin is. And God allows us to experience the weight of our sins to lead us to the freedom that is only found in Him. As Jeremiah declares in Lamentations 3:22-24 NLT, “22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”
When life seems out of control, it isn’t. God is still in control. But He’s allowing you to experience a sliver of what life is like without Him so that you realize how much He loves you. God’s faithful love never ends––even in these out of control situations. His faithfulness is still great––especially when we are faithless. And when He is our inheritance-–our reward, our price, and the one we are living for––we always have hope.
PRAYER:
God,
Thank You that You are always in control, and thank You that You love us so much that You allow us to experience the weight of our sins even if it hurts Your heart. I repent for my sins and for the times I have kept my eyes on the storms rather than upon You. You are good, You can only do good, and You can only be good. I turn to You. You are my reward. You are my prize. You are my inheritance. I love You, Lord. Thank You for loving me.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
