The message was called "Don't Leave Me." It centered around the prophet Jeremiah and his writings in Lamentations and landed on the truth that, "When my heart is broken, God never leaves me." Have you ever felt alone or that God does not hear your cries?
You see, Jeremiah was a man of God. A prophet and a priest in the city of Jerusalem. He devoted his life listening to God and sharing God's words to those in this great city. When Jerusalem came under attack by an enemy army, the city was basically leveled. All the men, women, and children Jeremiah knew, loved, and taught, had been killed. This great and powerful city, chosen by God to be a center of worship, had fallen. Jeremiah would cry out in prayer, cry out in anger and confusion to God, "How could you let this happen?!"
We all know someone that has gotten mad at God and asked the same question, yet instead of turning to God for comfort, they turn to him in anger and walk away, sometimes to never return. But is it possible to be upset with God, yet love him too?
In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears. Psalm 18:6 (NIV)
God wants to hear our hurts, our pain, our sorrow.
At some point in our life, they will face difficult challenges and losses. On this particular Sunday I asked students to decide to trust God with the outcomes of their life when things do not go as planned. We must be open and honest, but realize that He holds the key. We may never understand what is taking place in this world, but we have hope. Just as Jeremiah had hope:
I will never forget this awful time as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still date to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance, therefore, I will hope in him!" Lamentations 3:20-24 (NLT)
Jeremiah was homeless. He was literally completely alone. No one and no thing could console him in his loss, yet, through his anger and pain, he chose to never lose hope in God.
All too often, we feel that we have to understand what God is doing. This is not faith; this is a selfish desire to try to control a situation or an outcome and not to rely on our heavenly father. In that frustration, we tend to try to take control of a situation and not allow God to work; missing out on his blessings and his ability to take control.
God did not create us to live in pain and suffering; he created us to be in a relationship with Him. God promised Adam and Eve what would happen if they ate from the tree of knowledge. God kept His word; His promise. God also promises to make it right one day when He returns; that is our hope. That is why we love and cherish him.
We may never understand why God does what he does or why bad things happen, but I know this, when we allow God to work in our life, we will see his hand. We will see miracles happen. Maybe our prayers are not answered the way our selfish desires would like, but I urge you, look for God in your times of distress. Look for Jesus to provide comfort and lean in to one of the verses that took me years to fully comprehend:
And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those
who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:25 (NIV)
I do not know what awful times and sufferings you are going through or have gone through. Maybe a divorce, death of a loved one, sexual abuse, or maybe cancer. Maybe you feel alone that God does not hear you or your cries. But God will never leave you. Lean in to His word, his mercies. Know that you are not alone.
What made this week so tough on my family and I? In the days to come, you will read about the Kimmel's "city of Jerusalem " - aka life - come under attack by an enemy army. What will be the outcome? I am not certain, but I know one thing, my family and I will lean on the Rock of Salvation and pray. Let nothing shake our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
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