Should We Be Surprised?

Daily Reading: Lamentations 2

The law is no more, and her prophets find no vision from the Lord. (Lamentations 2.9)

Devotional Thought: "Pastor, I don't know what to do!"  The young man poured his heart out to me.  It wasn't our first conversation.  For months, he had disregarded the pleading of his family and the instruction of scripture.  Now he was trapped.  He saw no way out.  Frankly, he wanted God to fix it, even though he had ignored God's solutions in the past.  I didn't have an answer for him.

The people of Jerusalem were reaping the results of their flouting of the law of the Lord.  Their city had fallen, and their future had crumpled.  Lives were lost, careers destroyed, families separated - all because they had disregarded God.  The pastors (prophets) couldn't offer even a glimpse of hope.

Jesus instructed us to build on the foundation of his Word: "“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock" (Matthew 7.24-25).

"If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11.3) The Lamentations of Jeremiah provide the answer: "Let tears stream down like a torrent day and night!  Give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite!  Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches!  Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord!  Lift your hands to him" (Lamentations 2.18-19).

Prayer: "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."  Amen. (2 Chronicles 20.12)

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 18.7-12

7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.

8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.

9 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.

10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.

12 Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.