The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him (Lam. 3:25)

Jeremiah lamented over the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the temple by the Babylonians. A lament is a poem that expresses deep grief. It means 'to cry aloud'. [1]

“You make me want to sing another love song... Flood water rain crash down, soak the ground, still I thirst for you...” sings.

Jeremiah's ministry included proclaiming sorrow and doom to a people who would not receive what he had to say. He was mocked and taunted by the people he prophesied to for speaking the truth about the coming destruction. Rather then repent, they ridiculed him and even wanted him dead (Jer. 11:18-19).

Jeremiah says in Lamentations 3:14-15, “I have become the ridicule of all my people- their taunting song all the day. He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drink wormwood.”

This was not easy for Jeremiah. Jeremiah proclaims his complaint to God about this in Jeremiah 15:10,17-18, “Woe is me, my mother, that you have borne me, a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent for interest, nor have men lent to me for interest. Every one of them curses me.... I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone because of Your hand, for You have filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Will you surely be to me like an unreliable stream, as waters that fail?”

“I'm gonna show you a love in every language, I'm gonna speak with the words that need no form, I'm gonna give you what you never had before.” sings

Yet, Jeremiah continued in his ministry despite the difficulties and complaints before God about it. Jeremiah never threw in the towel. Instead, he let God work in him to overcome those things that were obstacles for him such as the fear of man. And God encouraged and reassured him. He led Jeremiah and called him into greater and greater freedom.

“I know what I am doing my child, I have it all figured out... I have plans to give you the future you have hoped for” is speaking in the background.

In Jeremiah 15:16-21 the Lord said to him, “If you return, then I will bring you back; You shall stand before Me; if you take out the precious from the vile, you shall be as My mouth. Let them return to you, but you must not return to them. And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall; And they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you; For I am with you to save you and deliver you,' says the Lord. 'I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.”

Jeremiah not only suffered at the hands of those he ministered to, but he then identified with them in their sin and rebellion and shared their same fate. He mourned along side of the people for the destruction of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah goes on to proclaim in Lamentations 3:16-18, “He has also broken my teeth with gravel, and covered me with ashes. You have moved my soul far from peace, I have forgotten prosperity. And I said, 'My strength and my hope have perished from the Lord.”

Commentary notes about these verses, “The people had sensed that they were so associated with dust and sackcloth—symbols of mourning—that it was as though they fed on dirt. The dust became gravel which broke the people’s teeth. The people were also covered with ashes, another symbol of mourning.” [2]

In Jeremiah's lament, he repents and mourns, taking ownership for the sins himself. He proclaims in Lamentations 1:18-19, “The Lord is righteous, for I rebelled against His commandment. Here now, all peoples, and behold my sorrow; My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity. I called for my lovers, but they deceived me; My priests and my elders breathed their last in the city, while they sought food to restore their life.”

Not only did Jeremiah grieve the destruction of Jerusalem because of the wrath of God, he deeply grieved the rebellion of the people and longed for them to be faithful to God. Jeremiah's soul wept for those who had mocked and scorned him. He interceded ceaselessly.

Lam. 2:19 Jeremiah cries out, “Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches; Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him for the life of your young children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street.”

And in Lam. 3:49-51 Jeremiah says, “My eyes flow and do not cease without interruption, till the Lord from heaven looks down and sees. My eyes bring suffering to my soul because of all the daughters of my city.”

In the midst of Jeremiah's grief and lamenting, he still remembers God's goodness and mercies towards him. He proclaims in Lamentations 3:19-25, “Remember my affliction and roaming, the wormwood and the gall. My soul still remembers and sinks within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not, they are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I hope in Him!' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him."

Commentary notes, “Every day presents us with a new opportunity to discover and experience more of God’s love. Even in the midst of terrible sorrow, Jeremiah looked for signs of mercy. Great is Your faithfulness: Here is the heart of the Book of Lamentations. The comforting, compassionate character of God dominates the wreckage of every other institution and office. God remains “full of grace and truth” in every situation (see Ex. 34:6, 7; John 1:14).”[3]

“I'll keep a firm grip on you... so don't be afraid, I'll help you.... I'll never leave you and I'll never forsake you” speaks in the background.

The Psalmist cries out in Psalm 119:75-77, “I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for me my comfort, according to Your word to Your servant. Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; For Your Law is my delight.”

In a place of knowing the comfort and mercies of God, Jeremiah's final conclusion was that it was good to suffer silently waiting upon the Lord. Our hope comes from Him and it is through Him that we find our consolation.

He proclaims in Lamentations 3:26-30, “It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone and keep silent, because God has laid it on him put his mouth in the dust –there may yet be hope. Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him, and be full of reproach.”

Jeremiah found that suffering reproach was worthwhile. He put his hope in the Lord and trusted in the Lord's faithfulness. As the lyrics of the song goes, “Better is one day in His courts than a thousand elsewhere.” Jeremiah knew this truth. It was better to be in difficulty, seeing with his very own eyes the destruction of the temple and be comforted by God than to live a life free from difficulty and far from God.

Habakkuk proclaims this same thing in Hab. 3:17-19, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls -Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.”

“At the top of my lungs I will sing Hallelujah, I'm not afraid, I'll praise Your name, Let the whole world know I love You Lord” sings

It is difficulties and trials that what we deeply believe is forged in us and made evident. John Maxwell writes, “A conviction is a strong belief that so governs your decisions that you are willing to die for it.”[4] It is the inward compass [5] that guides our daily decisions.

Convictions are like the current under the water. They are taking the river in a certain direction and it is because of this current that the river is moving, but often this is not evident from looking at the surface. The time that the current becomes evident is when an obstacle arises that hinders the flow. The current rises against the obstacle with force. In the same way, our convictions are those beliefs that are under the surface. They come to the surface and are evident only when something opposes them.

John Maxwell writes that convictions “show us our true north. They go on vivid display when we're under pressure...Someone has said that humans are like tea. Our colors show up when we get into hot water.”[6]

Convictions are values and beliefs that are forged into us and confirmed in us through trials and difficulties. Pastor David Johnson once noted that he went through a very difficult season in his life where he “hit the wall.” At the time, everything was turned upside down for him as he took a sabbatical. When he came out the other side, he had some things that he had “written on a rock.” One of them was “Jesus is the sweetest name I know.” This would be an example of God forging and confirming convictions in him.

“I believe this: Your gonna be worth it all” sings in the background.

Under mocking, ridicule, difficulty and disappointment, Jeremiah's heart was purified and his beliefs were formed into convictions as they came to the surface. Some of the things he believed were:

• All people are accountable to God. He is sovereign over all and has the final word.
• The Lord is holy and continual sin against Him will bring eventual judgment and punishment.
• The Lord is good and cares for those who repent and obey.
• The Lord is faithful to His covenant and would eventually have mercy on his people and bring them back out of captivity.
• Jeremiah also knew his enemies would not prevail against him – only in God could he find his hope.

John Maxwell notes that Jeremiah remained fixed on God's sovereignty. He knew that God was in control over everything and that ultimately He would act mercifully for His people, delivering them and giving them a hope and a future. [7]

However, as Pastor David Johnson once noted when he was preaching a sermon on Job, when people are in pain, we can't necessarily take what they say is their final word. This was true with Jeremiah. Some of what came to the surface was not all words of faith and hope. He cursed the day he was born. But then his actions still came into line with his true convictions.

In Jeremiah 20:2-18, he says:

"O Lord, You induced me, and I was persuaded; You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I am in derision daily; Everyone mocks me. For when I spoke, I cried out; I shouted, 'Violence and plunder!' Because the word of the Lord was made to me a reproach and a derision daily. Then I said, 'I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name,' But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not. For I heard many mocking: 'Fear on every side!' 'Report,' they say, 'and we will report it!' All my acquaintances watched for my stumbling, saying, 'Perhaps he can be induced; Then we will prevail against him.' But the Lord is with me as a might, awesome One. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail. They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. Their everlasting confusing will never be forgotten. But, O Lord of hosts, You who test the righteous, and see the mind and heart, let me see Your vengeance on them; For I have pleaded my cause before You.

Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For He has delivered the life of the poor from the hand of evildoers.

Cursed be the day in which I was born! Let the day not be blessed in which my mother bore me! Let the man be cursed who brought news to my father, saying, 'A male child has been born to you!' Making him very glad. And let that man be like the cities which the Lord overthrew, and did not relent; Let him hear the cry in the morning and the shouting at noon, because he did not kill me from the womb, that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb always enlarged with me. Why did I come forth from the womb to see labor and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?”

Someone once told me when my husband and I were going through some struggles years ago, “Watch his feet, not his words.” Sometimes our words can be like a great deal of hot air when we are in pain or difficulty. It is often our actions that reflect our true convictions and make them evident.

At different points Jeremiah communicated his internal struggle through words of discouragement, but Jeremiah never turned and walked away. He kept pressing in despite the pain. God's word became a fire in his heart that could not be contained. He believed in God and this is where his actions eventually followed. He found his hope, even in the midst of all the calamity around him.

And God was faithful to Jeremiah in helping him to fulfill his call, even despite his complaints and shortcomings. The ministry Jeremiah was given was difficult for him and stretched him tremendously. However, God kept calling him forward into more and dealing with him on his struggles as they arose. God helped him to overcome his difficulties.

Romans 8:35.37
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ....No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

In Jeremiah 12:5-6 the Lord tells Jeremiah, “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan? For even your brothers, the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you; Yes, they have called a multitude after you. Do not believe them, even though they speak smooth words to you.”

“When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, the flames will not set you ablaze... I will strengthen you and uphold you... do not fear, I will help you...” speaks in the background.

What helped Jeremiah to keep moving forward were his underlying convictions. John Maxwell notes that convictions come in our lives when we [8]:

1. Decide on the source of truth and choose to commit to daily live our lives by it. Jeremiah deeply believed God's word was true. The word was a joy to his heart. In Jeremiah 15:16 he says, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty.”
2. Expose ourselves to situations that allow us to practice our beliefs such as where there is a relevant need or crisis.
3. Take time to reflect on what we believe is worth investing our lives and whole heart into (our passion and what contribution we want to make in life).
4. Establish a life mission, determine our values, and let them guide our daily choices.
5. Embrace who we are becoming. John Maxwell notes, “Almost everyone who embraces firm convictions also has a healthy self esteem. We must be secure in who we are and embrace that identity.”

John Maxwell goes on to suggest that in order to build convictions in our lives, we need to meditate on scripture, make an all out commitment to a set habit for a period of time, look at if your actions line up with your heart held beliefs, and get someone to hold you accountable to your convictions. [9]

So what can I learn from this?

As I just looked down at my clock it read 3:33 which brings my mind back to the dream I wrote about a few weeks ago. I think what God is speaking to me through this is that He is working into my and other's hearts convictions in this season.

At one point in time, maybe a year or so ago, I remember writing, 'there comes a time when one needs to set their face like flint.' At the time, I was referring to Is. 50:7 where he said, “Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint [to obey the Lord], and I know I will not be put to shame.”

What I was referring to was pressing into prayer for those things that God had placed on my heart. I do very much believe they are worthwhile to invest my heart and efforts into, despite difficulties, complaints and growing pains. My words recently have been too full of hot air and complaints. But my heart keeps wanting to press forward.

I long to see the fullness of all God has for us in the church I attend, this young generation, the Twin Cities and on the University campus. I long for us to be a bride ready and awaiting His return.

Some of what God has been dealing with me on recently has been my desire to be comfortable and seeking the approval/validation/care of man.

Thomas a Kempis writes, “Affection for creatures is deceitful and inconstant, but the love of Jesus is true and enduring... You will find, apart from Him, that nearly all the trust you place in men is a total loss...you will often be disappointed if you seek comfort and gain in them... Let all things be loved for the sake of Jesus, but Jesus for His own sake. Jesus Christ must be loved alone with a special love for He alone, of all friends, is good and faithful. For Him and in Him you must love friends and foes alike, and pray to Him that all may know and love Him. Never desire special praise or love, for that belongs to God alone who has no equal. Never wish that anyone's affection be centered in you, nor let yourself be taken up with the love of anyone, but let Jesus be in you and in every good man. Be pure and free within, unentangled with any creature. You must bring to God a clean and open heart if you wish to attend and see how sweet the Lord is.” [10]

Jesus says in Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” It is only as we get our hearts unattached from trying to get what we need from the things and people around us, that we can be free to truly see and experience Jesus. And as our hearts are fully attached to Him, we can truly love and care for the people, creatures, and things of this world in a way that bears fruit and brings glory to God.

Lord, forgive me where I have not fully embraced all You have for me. Forgive me where I have complained and even spoke things contrary to Your will when I was struggling and being stretched. Also forgive me where I have looked to others to value, appreciate, and care for me. Thank you for Your grace and mercy. You alone are worthy of all I have to give. I deeply long to love you more like Jeremiah, pressing into you and continuing to move forward when it seems difficult.

Lord, would you make us a people of strong convictions. Would you settle in our hearts that You are good and You are faithful, despite what things might look like around us. Would you help us, strengthen us and uphold us as You stir us to press into more. We long for the fullness of Your Spirit to be poured out upon us!

1.Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., Harrison, R. K., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1995). Nelson's new illustrated Bible dictionary. Rev. ed. of: Nelson's illustrated Bible dictionary.; Includes index. Nashville: T. Nelson.

2-3. Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1997). The Nelson study Bible : New King James Version. Includes index. (La 3:16). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.

7-9. Maxwell, John. The Maxwell Leadership Bible, Second Edition. NKJV. Lessons in Leadership from the Word of God. Thomas Nelson. Nashville, Tennessee. 2007.

10. Kempis, Thomas a. The Imitation of Christ. Dover Publications, Inc. Mineola, New York. 2003.