WEDDINGTON | Everything new

“I“It’s over,” she cried, “everything is ruined.” As I took the time to listen to her story, the pain she was experiencing was clear. A series of missteps, disappointments and careless words had destroyed a friendship that had lasted for years. I tried my best to comfort her and reassure her that nothing was really over. After all, we are people of faith. We believe in the resurrection. Forget the strong singers, it’s never over until God says it’s over.

So much for my attempts to ease someone else’s pain. There are times in life when, as far as we can tell, it’s all over. Relationships begin and end, all under the endless pressure of that fast-running clock we carry within us. There are only so many words you can say, so many things you can do. We are weak, dependent creatures.

Interestingly, this is what makes Lamentations 3 so strange. The book of Lamentations, traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, is just that: bitter and harsh. Jerusalem is in ruins. The Babylonians have prevailed. The prophet is surrounded by ruins, and every word of destruction once spoken as a warning to the nation’s leaders has come to pass. No cheers come from the corner of the city where the prophet resides (let alone the well). Lamentations is a book of horror.

If anyone in the history of the world (apart from Jesus, who died on the cross) had the right to call it a day, it was Jeremiah when he saw God’s punishment coming upon the city through the Babylonians. One only has to read the beginning of chapter 3 to feel the bile rising in Jeremiah’s throat: “Though I cry out and plead, he will not hear my prayer…” (v. 8). It’s over. Everything is ruined.

Let’s turn to verse 21. Despite the devastation, the prophet brings another song to mind, this song of hope. The circumstances are terrible, but the character of the Lord is never in question. God is faithful, even when our lives often are not. In the midst of tribulation, the Lord is merciful. Like the sun rising in the morning, we can count on God to be with us and to give us our daily bread.

I need to remind myself of that often. Like Jeremiah, I am quick to survey the shattered landscape of my life and proclaim the end. It was not long ago that I almost did that forever. But like Jeremiah, a new song entered my heart, reminding me that I was not alone. God is faithful, and I can always count on that.

I hope you can hear this song too. If not, I invite you to listen more closely. Look for God’s chorus. Pay attention to your neighbor and fellow sufferers. As you walk together in Christ, you will find that He makes all things new.