[Anglican Devotional 21 February 2022] Topic: A National Lamentation
TOPIC: A National Lamentation
READ: Jeremiah 4:19 -31 (NKJV)
O my soul, my soul! I am pained in my very heart! My heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war.
Destruction upon destruction is cried, For the whole land is plundered. Suddenly my tents are plundered, [And] my curtains in a moment.
How long will I see the standard, [And] hear the sound of the trumpet?
“For My people [are] foolish, They have not known Me. They [are] silly children, And they have no understanding. They [are] wise to do evil, But to do good they have no knowledge.”
I beheld the earth, and indeed [it was] without form, and void; And the heavens, they [had] no light.
I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, And all the hills moved back and forth.
I beheld, and indeed [there was] no man, And all the birds of the heavens had fled.
I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land [was] a wilderness, And all its cities were broken down At the presence of the LORD, By His fierce anger.
For thus says the LORD: “The whole land shall be desolate; Yet I will not make a full end.
For this shall the earth mourn, And the heavens above be black, Because I have spoken. I have purposed and will not relent, Nor will I turn back from it.
The whole city shall flee from the noise of the horsemen and bowmen. They shall go into thickets and climb up on the rocks. Every city [shall be] forsaken, And not a man shall dwell in it.
“And [when] you [are] plundered, What will you do? Though you clothe yourself with crimson, Though you adorn [yourself] with ornaments of gold, Though you enlarge your eyes with paint, In vain you will make yourself fair; [Your] lovers will despise you; They will seek your life.
“For I have heard a voice as of a woman in labor, The anguish as of her who brings forth her first child, The voice of the daughter of Zion bewailing herself; She spreads her hands, [saying,] ‘Woe [is] me now, for my soul is weary Because of murderers!’
THE MESSAGE:
God through Jeremiah, lamented about the condition of his nation and today is bringing an outcry against the whole world. The passage x-rays the occurrences of today in almost all parts of the world. All these cause much pain/sorrow in the heart of God as we see in verse 19 which talks of the alarm of war.
Today, the things that cause God pain/sorrow include our sins, rebellion, disobedience, abominations and desolations in high and low places including in the household of God. In Genesis 6:3, God declared “My spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh, yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” This declaration led to the destruction of the first world. The sound of Jesus’ return is very audible. The end time is around the corner. This is marked by wars and rumours of war, destruction, plundering, violence, terrorism, kidnapping, and many more signs. Peace generally is lacking in the world today. In the face of this, Jesus is our solace.
The issues above arise from the condition of the heart. To curb them, Paul enjoined us in Philippians 4:8-9 to think on the eight virtues mentioned. From Matthew 11:28-30, we see that only in Jesus can one find rest for his soul. Let us not leave God in pain or sorrow of heart by refusing to change our ways.
PRAYER: Lord, give me peace in the face of terrorism and violence today. Let the peace that passes all understanding be my portion today.
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