Bring Your Lament To God
Good morning Immanuel. We do not pray to a Savior who is unacquainted with grief, pain, or death. We pray to a Savior who suffered in our place, died, and rose again.
17 my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; 18 so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.” 19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! 20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. 21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:17-24)
The book of Lamentations was written from the wreckage of the great city of Jerusalem, laid waste by the Babylonian empire. It contains five chapters, five different poems of deep lament. The poems were written in Hebrew acrostic poetry, where each section begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The book details the sufferings of God’s people from A to Z.
In the middle of the third chapter of Lamentations comes the key passage of the book, verses 19-24. In the weeping city, the writer puts all his weight down on God: “The Lord is my portion, therefore I will hope in Him.” The writer declares, “great is your faithfulness.” The context of this trust and this declaration of God’s character helps me. Look back at verses 17 and 18. “My soul is bereft of peace.” “My endurance has perished.” This great confession of hope in God comes from a deep valley of despair, not a mountaintop of success.
What does this teach us? At least this. You can be honest with God. As your soul is “bereft of peace,” as you taste the bitterness of “ the wormwood and the gall,” as your “endurance has perished,” you are not Godforsaken. Bring your lament to Him. Pray this passage to him. The Lord is near, not distant.
How do we know? Around 600 years later, outside that same city, they offered our Lord Jesus, God the Son, wine mixed with gall. He tasted it and spit it out. He refused anything that would dull or numb his experience of pain. Our Lord endured the cross for us. We do not pray to a Savior who is unacquainted with grief, pain, or death. We pray to a Savior who suffered in our place, died, and rose again. He is near, friends. We can go to Him. We can grieve with Him. He will come to us. He will grieve with us. He will restore our hope.
April 2, 2023 - This Sunday At Immanuel
Sunday Morning
SERMON - This Sunday, Pastor TJ will pause our series in Ephesians to preach a sermon on Psalm 42, which is a song for those who weep and hope in the Lord. All are welcome.
Seminars
9 am: Studying the Bible Together led by Dr. Tom Cox in the Staff Lounge (ongoing)
9 am: First Word Seminar led by Dr. Russell Moore in the Cafe
9 am: Student Seminar led by Vince Greenwald in the gymnasium (ongoing for grades 5-12)
10:45 am: Next Steps 1, led by Tony Shepherd in the Staff Lounge (ongoing)
No Discover Luncheon In April - The 2nd Sunday of the month falls on Easter Sunday. No one should be alone on Easter. To make your home available for Easter lunch or to find others to connect with on Easter, please email friens@immanuelnashville.com.
Easter Invitation
Easter is coming up soon. Now is a great time to share the hope of the resurrection with our friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. Feel free to save and share the Easter invitation card below. See the details below:
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