June 27, 2021 Text: Lamentations 3:22-33
Dear Friends in Christ,
Between 1931 and 1935, the Hoover Dam was constructed. If you walk along the dam you can see the dam’s face on one side and Lake Mead on the other. The combination of power and productivity is seen clearly.
What do you notice about the timing of its construction? It was built during the Depression. Men traveled from all over to work on this project – 47 different states in all – and we only had 48 then. Out of national suffering came what was the tallest dam at the time and the largest hydroelectric plant in the world. In the midst of suffering, people saw great power and wonderful work.
Our text for this morning offers a glimpse of God’s great power and work in the midst of suffering. Israel has been exiled to Babylon; Jerusalem has had a siege against her with her walls and temple torn down. We then get this voice of lament. In the middle of the book is an amazing revelation about God’s faithfulness. Let’s meditate on this text and see that in the midst of our suffering . . .
“GREAT IS GOD’S FAITHFULNESS”
When we suffer, our grief has many voices. The same is true of Scripture. The Book of Lamentations has five laments with each one being different. Our text is part of the third lament.
This third lament is personal. It is the cry of a man who has seen suffering. He has seen people exiled. He has seen God’s judgment on his people. The man is grief stricken over what he has observed.
His grief is such that he speaks about God not to God. He can’t speak to God because physically, mentally, emotionally, this man has experienced the judgment of God and reached the point where his endurance and his hope from the Lord have perished.
Have you ever gotten to that point? The suffering is so overwhelming that you figure God isn’t listening, so why bother? The hurt so intense that the Creator can’t do anything for me? You lament your troubles and internalize them until you are ready to burst and not in a positive way.
The man in our text is there but what we see in Lamentations is what the man remembers. The love of God never ceases. His mercies never end. The Lord is the portion he can put his hope in. God restores this relationship and the man can speak to God rather than about Him. The man says, “Great is yourfaithfulness.” (v. 23) Not great is God’s faithfulness. Great is your faithfulness. God is not going to forsake His covenant. He comes near to the man in faithfulness and love.
What do people do today? They read God according to their lives. God’s love is measured by their life experiences. If God has delivered them from suffering, then He is powerful. If God has blessed business or family then He is loving. If life begins to break down, however, so does their God. The rabble-rousers of our world fall into this category. They may not believe in God or the church but who gets the vile words spilled against them? They lament against others and God because someone has to take the blame. Why are they so angry and hateful? Because they are not comfortable with who they are. They need our prayers.
There are times we may not be comfortable with ourselves. But we don’t waver in faith because of life experiences. We hope in God because He is love and compassion and mercy and faithfulness. In the life, death and resurrection of Jesus God showed all of these traits. In love, He died for you. In compassion, he sympathizes with your weaknesses. In mercy, He forgives your sin. In faithfulness, He is always with you to the very end. It is all of that that brought you here today and will go home with you.
There is a plaque at Hoover Dam created by Oskar J.W. Hansen to commemorate the workers who died as the dam was constructed. It pictures the dam, and in front of it is the figure of a man. His arms are outstretched, and he rises above the water. Above him a symbol of the electrical power provided by the dam and then, extending outward to both sides, are stalks of wheat, clusters of grapes, gourds, and the fruits of the earth. Across the middle of the plaque are the words, “They died to make the desert bloom.”
This plaque calls to mind the human sacrifice involved in creating this center of power and productivity for our country. Christians have a symbol that calls to mind an even greater sacrifice that brings greater power and productivity to all creation. That symbol is the cross. When Jesus stretched out his arms on the cross, He bore the sins of the world and the curse that had fallen on creation. Dying under the burden of sin, Jesus broke its power, and rising from the dead, He brings life to all who trust in Him. Life from death. Joy from sorrow. A new creation from a fallen world. Of Him, it may truly be said, “He died to make the desert bloom.”
Great is God’s faithfulness. Amen.