Abandoned

The book of Lamentations is one the most passionate books in all of Scripture. Contained with in its pages are some of the deepest expressions of sadness, bitterness and horror that has ever been written. The vast majority of us today cannot even begin to understand the level of distress found in these pages because our cultural and religious context is too far removed from those of the ancient Hebrews. The fact of the matter is though that what we see in the book of Lamentations is a series of poems that systematically and passionately express the feelings of at least one Jew (traditionally believed to be the prophet Jeremiah) about the complete destruction of Jerusalem. As we read these words what is that we can learn or apply to our modern context?

As I have read through chapter 1 one of the themes that jumped out at me is the idea of abandonment. It is repeated over and over again in this chapter that Jerusalem has nobody that she can turn to in the hour of her greatest need. The reason for this is that those whom she called her friends where basically friends of convience and not the kind of Godly friends she should have had. In the end Jerusalem had to learn the hard way about whom she could always rely on. In the end the only whom we can all rely on is God Himself. This is not to say that we should not trust others or that God does not surround us with people to support us and being sources of encouragement. What this means is that we should be so depended on them that when they do fail us that our entire world is destroyed. If we get to that point with people then we have essentially made them into idols and have placed them between us and God. God will not stand for this and eventually He will remove this people, friendships and relationships from our lives.

So are you one of those people who feels abandoned by God? Does it feel as though you are all alone in this world? IF you are then let me assure you of a couple of truths that I know. First, God never abandons His children, though it may seem like it sometimes. Second, Christ himself dealt with these same feelings when He cried out on the Cross "Why have You forsaken me?" Third, it is not wrong to feel as though You need to have people in addition to God. God created us as social beings and as such there is a part of us that needs to be around others, its just how we are made. Fourth, seek after Him and be willing to fully accept whatever it is that He shows you and provides for. We must learn to be content in the places and situations that God places us. If we are seeking after Him with everything that we have (mind, body, soul, etc..) then He promises to answer us and show us his way.