Day 2: Thursday, February 7th, 2008

Daily Reading: Lamentations 3:19-30, but reading all of chapter 3 might give you some additional insight.

In verses 1-20 of Lamentations 3, Jeremiah is describing his plight to us, and its horrific. Jerusalem is under siege by Babylon. The people of Judah have been devastated - Judgment has come. They have gotten so desperate they begin to kill their own children to eat them. After the capture of the city, they become slaves, their women are raped, their princes are hung by their thumbs, and their children are forced to work the lowest of jobs.

Jeremiah then says he will never forget this suffering or homelessness (wandering in the NIV).

Home. For many of us, home is a place of safety and rest. A place where we can take off our masks, but up our feet and maybe the only place in the world we can be authentic. Last night I was reading Soul Cravings by Erwin McManus and he had an interesting quote about home. "Home is ultimately not about a place to live, but about the people with who you are most alive. Home is about love, relationship, community and belonging and we are all searching for home."

Have we become spiritually homeless? Is it possible that in our prosperity we have become just like Jerusalem and don't even realize it? In a world that is more crowded than ever before, more technologically advanced, we are also more alone than ever before. Loneliness is a pandemic. Suicide statistics are staggering. The sanctity of life has become of no value to us, and satisfying our own desires has become our greatest priority. Are we in a state of spiritual devastation and unaware of it?

In that place of the greatest despair, Jeremiah offers hope in verses 21-32. Jeremiah reminds us of God's character - His Great Faithfulness, His Unfailing Love, Fresh Mercy, Compassion, Goodness.

Jeremiah then finishes the chapter describing what our response should be. To wait quietly on God in our affliction and suffering, to submit to His direction, to be alone with God, to repent humbly and mourn for our sin, and to respond in love to our enemies.

We are broken, wretched, unworthy sinners - Yet God sees beautiful, rescued, invaluable saints.

courage my friends, His mercy is fresh every day.
-davey