Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
July 11, 2023
Lamentations 1:1-7
1 Oh, no! She sits alone, the city that was once full of people. Once great among nations, she has become like a widow. Once a queen over provinces, she has become a slave. 2 She weeps bitterly in the night, her tears on her cheek. None of her lovers comfort her. All her friends lied to her; they have become her enemies. 3 Judah was exiled after suffering and hard service. She lives among the nations; she finds no rest. All who were chasing her caught her—right in the middle of her distress. 4 Zion’s roads are in mourning; no one comes to the festivals. All her gates are deserted. Her priests are groaning, her young women grieving. She is bitter. 5 Her adversaries have become rulers; her enemies relax. Certainly, the LORD caused her grief because of her many wrong acts. Her children have gone away, captive before the enemy. 6 Daughter Zion lost all her glory. Her officials are like deer that can’t find pasture. They have gone away, frail, before the hunter. 7 While suffering and homeless, Jerusalem remembers all her treasures from days long past. When her people fell by the enemy’s hand, no one could help her. Enemies saw her and laughed at her defeat.
Good Morning, It’s a new day! Make it a great one!
When I see that our passage is from Lamentations, I tend to have a predetermined ugh that seeps from my lips. Lamentations is one of those Books of the Old Testament that seem to contain old-school concerns and struggles. I turn to today’s passage with that mindset.
This passage is very relevant to the church and the people of God today. When Jerusalem was defeated and the people scattered, it was like a ghost town with few who remained. As I travel around, I see empty houses, stores, and even malls dotting our landscape. I am fascinated by the houses that are abandoned and overtaken with plants and trees. In many cases, it seems that one day people were living there, and then they were gone. Where did they go? I have this image in my mind that the contents await their return.
What about those long-closed churches that exist along sparsely populated roads? In a conversation with my ophthalmologist yesterday, we talked about the declining population of our churches. Where did all the people go? As the number of people inhabiting the earth continues to grow at a staggering rate, our churches often resemble the scene of today’s passage. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. We are challenged to gather in all those who are lost and weary. With so many waiting to be harvested, why aren’t our churches overflowing with new converts?
It is time to humble ourselves and ask for God’s help! “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
Like the abandoned home with its contents intact, our church buildings await God’s children’s return. It’s up to us to help them find their way home. This can’t happen if we sit and grieve our losses. We do this by opening our doors, stepping out into our communities, and offering the invitation to come home.
Comforting God, We thank you! How long, O Lord, will we languish in our failures? Help us accept your yoke and get to work. Again, we Thank You! In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: God is big enough to bear my grief.
Find those who are lost and bring them home! Pastor Liz
Comments