The Biblical Age of Kings #13: God's Love Endures

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Here's a short meditation on Lamentations 5:19-22:

It's good to praise God and to remember his love. This is especially easy when we experience the majesty and wonder of creation. It's also equally simple when you can witness the deliverance of God, either first-hand or through the stories of those who lived it.

For example, Psalm 136 is a hymn of hope. In it, the psalmist tells the history of creation and redemption—how God made the heavens and the earth, and how God redeemed his people from slavery and brought them to a good and prosperous land. After each affirmation in this psalm (26 times), we hear the same refrain, "For his steadfast love endures forever."

But can you testify to the goodness of God's love when your world has collapsed and when your enemies are having their way with you? Can you sing the praises of God's enduring love when it feels as if God is looking the other way? How can you declare, "God's love endures forever," when you feel forgotten, mistreated and unloved?

The story of Lamentations is a sad one. Lament is its obvious focus. The poetic lines point toward loss, agony and despair: "God shot into my vitals the arrows of his quiver. . . He has filled me with bitterness . . . my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is."

This story of bitter endings is the story of God's people. It's the story of Israel told in several volumes, ending at the cliff of Babylonian exile. It's where the narrators leave us as readers when 2 Kings comes to its unsatisfying conclusion: "So Judah went into exile out of its land."

In the midst of the pain, Lamentations tells the story of a people who still proclaim God’s love. "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." This is the plight and the hope of God's people. We see how bleak our reality is. We do not pretend to be living a fairy tale or try to fool others into thinking that we are the invincible kings of our own destiny. Our eyes are open to our hopeless situation.

As people of faith we speak with the words of the lamenting prophet, "Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored; renew our days as of old—even if you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure" (Lam 5:21-22).

This is what God always wants from his people—that you would turn to him and trust with all your heart no matter the outward circumstances. Will you join me in praying this prayer? Will you honestly admit that you fall short of the glory of God? And will you turn to God for renewal, restoration and love?

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