What We Learn From Lament, Part 2

Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Big Idea: “Lament allows you to hear the lessons God intends to teach you through pain.”

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Introduction

Where I found truth, there found I my God, who is the truth itself. Augustine
Truth renews the mind. Indeed, the truth which would affect the heart, which moves the heart, which changes the heart, must first enter through the vestibule of the mind if it would enter the sanctuary of the heart. The intention of truth preached is to affect the emotions and the will and the heart and the whole of our humanity…and thus preaching must come first through the mind. It makes its appeal through the mind; it enters through the mind – but it doesn’t simply stop with the mind. Feed My Sheep, ed. Don Kistler, Soli Deo Gloria Ministries, 2002, p. 168-169. John Armstrong
Truth.
Truth is our hope. Our anchor in lament.
Forcing our minds and hearts to dwell upon the revealed truth of God, His promises, and His Word is the source of hope that leads us to choosing truth in the dark shadows of our suffering.
This is the second lesson we can learn from lament…the need to rehearse truth, renew our mind upon truth in our lamenting.

Series Outline

Big Idea: “Lament allows you to hear the lessons God intends to teach you through pain.”
A Broken World and a Holy God
Hope Springs from Truth Rehearsed
Unearthing Idols
A Road Map to Grace

Sermon Outline

Big Idea: “Lament allows you to hear the lessons God intends to teach you through pain.”
Hope Springs from Truth Rehearsed
Lamentations 3: Pointing the heart to Truth
Two Different Perspectives in the Same Chapter
Dare to Hope
Hope Springs from Truth Rehearsed

Sermon Body

Hope Springs from Truth Rehearsed

Lam 3.
Lamentations 3 ESV
1 I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; 2 he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; 3 surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long. 4 He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; he has broken my bones; 5 he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; 6 he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago. 7 He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has made my chains heavy; 8 though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; 9 he has blocked my ways with blocks of stones; he has made my paths crooked. 10 He is a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in hiding; 11 he turned aside my steps and tore me to pieces; he has made me desolate; 12 he bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow. 13 He drove into my kidneys the arrows of his quiver; 14 I have become the laughingstock of all peoples, the object of their taunts all day long. 15 He has filled me with bitterness; he has sated me with wormwood. 16 He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; 17 my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; 18 so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.” 19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! 20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. 21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. 28 Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; 29 let him put his mouth in the dust— there may yet be hope; 30 let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. 31 For the Lord will not cast off forever, 32 but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 33 for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men. 34 To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth, 35 to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High, 36 to subvert a man in his lawsuit, the Lord does not approve. 37 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? 39 Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins? 40 Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord! 41 Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven: 42 “We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven. 43 “You have wrapped yourself with anger and pursued us, killing without pity; 44 you have wrapped yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through. 45 You have made us scum and garbage among the peoples. 46 “All our enemies open their mouths against us; 47 panic and pitfall have come upon us, devastation and destruction; 48 my eyes flow with rivers of tears because of the destruction of the daughter of my people. 49 “My eyes will flow without ceasing, without respite, 50 until the Lord from heaven looks down and sees; 51 my eyes cause me grief at the fate of all the daughters of my city. 52 “I have been hunted like a bird by those who were my enemies without cause; 53 they flung me alive into the pit and cast stones on me; 54 water closed over my head; I said, ‘I am lost.’ 55 “I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit; 56 you heard my plea, ‘Do not close your ear to my cry for help!’ 57 You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear!’ 58 “You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life. 59 You have seen the wrong done to me, O Lord; judge my cause. 60 You have seen all their vengeance, all their plots against me. 61 “You have heard their taunts, O Lord, all their plots against me. 62 The lips and thoughts of my assailants are against me all the day long. 63 Behold their sitting and their rising; I am the object of their taunts. 64 “You will repay them, O Lord, according to the work of their hands. 65 You will give them dullness of heart; your curse will be on them. 66 You will pursue them in anger and destroy them from under your heavens, O Lord.”
This chapter has opposing viewpoints. It moves from one end of the spectrum, hopelessness, to the opposite end of being filled with hope.
And in the examination of this, we find the second thing that lament can teach us.
We must be a people who love the truth, know the truth, rehearse the truth, and renew our minds upon the truth. There are times when life will seem hopeless and when despair threatens to step in. In those times, the challenge of Timothy Keller should be our battle cry….
We may hear our hearts say, “It’s hopeless!” but we should argue back. Timothy Keller
I am living here. In this tension. Even as I prepared this sermon, God challenged me that I was not rehearsing truth enough; that I was not renewing my mind on truth enough. Even as I speak this morning, I do not want to hear myself speak it. Because it means a battle; a battle with myself. It is easier at times to let the emotion have its day. It is easier at times to let the exhaustion of weariness settle in. It is easier to give up. It takes work to fight, to rehearse truth.
But when we fight the fight, when we wage the war, when the Spirit of God quickens within our hearts and we answer the battle God of God, who is our banner, there is infinitely more hope and joy in truth rehearsed, in a mind renewed.
So fight with me, will you?
This is what is happening the key, pivotal verses in this chapter.
This arguing back is exactly what we see happening in Lamentations 3.
Lam 3:22-23 is the key focal point of this passage. These great arsenal verses.
Lamentations 3:22–23 ESV
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
But do you note the context around it?
Verses 1-18 is filled with despair and hopelessness.
Verse 19-21 marks the transition...
Lamentations 3:19–21 ESV
19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! 20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. 21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
and then you have Lam 3:22-23.
Lamentations 3:22–23 ESV
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Despite the dark and bleak picture that Jeremiah sees, HE RENEWS HIS MIND WITH TRUTH. “This I call to mind…and therefore I hope.”
Pastor Mark notes....
A pastel-colored cottage by a stream is not the scene of the third chapter of Lamentations. On the contrary, Jeremiah writes “his mercies are new every morning” over a dark and tragic landscape. Instead of an English cottage, the city of Jerusalem lay in ruins. Think Indonesia after a tsunami, not a cabin in the Smokies. Bright skies are replaced with looming dark clouds. Quaint gardens are exchanged for streets of suffering. Instead of a peaceful scene, it’s a war zone. Yet, as Jeremiah laments this destruction, he still says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.”
What Jeremiah does in a frighteningly disturbing situation is turn his heart back hope, to truth.

Lamentations 3: Pointing the Heart to Truth

Jeremiah purposefully focuses his mind and heart on truth.
In this world, we will have a never ending list of reasons to mourn, lament, grow weary, and become discouraged. I have been there MANY times in the past 5 months particularly. Shoot, I have been there in the past week.
The trick is, forcing our minds to truth.
Phil 4:8-9.
Philippians 4:8–9 ESV
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Romans 12:2.
Romans 12:2 ESV
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
In our moments of despair, this is often the last thing that we want to do. But it should be the first thing we do.
In our moments of despair, in moments of suffering, we need to remind ourselves of God goodness and his sovereignty.
Jeremiah doesn’t merely lament his pain and disappointment. He uses his song of sorrow to point his heart toward what he knows to be true despite what he sees. In effect, he says, “Even in the leveling of Jerusalem, God is still in control. Despite the destruction of Judah, his mercies never come to an end. God’s faithfulness is still great.” Mark Vroegop
When we do this, when we point our heart to truth, God uses it produce growth in us.
This is where biblical lament is transformative. It not only gives voice to the pain you feel but also anchors your heart to truths you believe—or are trying to believe when dark clouds linger. Mark Vroegop
The duality of perspectives in this chapter, makes the truth of Lam 3:22-23 all the more poignant.

Two Different Perspectives in the Same Chapter

Lam 3:18.
Lamentations 3:18 ESV
18 so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.”
If you stopped reading here, or if the chapter stopped here, it would appear to be the most disheartening of chapters.
It’s over.
There is no hope.
We are done.
Truth is, all of us can probably relate to this sentiment at some point in our lives. We have all gone through difficult times that have left us feeling hopeless, discourage, and dispairing.
Good news is, it does not end here.
Now see the opposite....
Lam 3:55-58.
Lamentations 3:55–58 ESV
55 “I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit; 56 you heard my plea, ‘Do not close your ear to my cry for help!’ 57 You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear!’ 58 “You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life.
Jeremiah has forced his mind and heart onto truth and in so doing, has rebirthed the hope that was being stifled.
This is what happens when we RENEW our minds upon truth.
When you consider the stark contrast of Vs 18 to Vs 58, you begin to see the emerging trust of Jeremiah. It is not without struggle. His trust is not without challenge. He is human, like us. He is grieving deeply. And yet, he moves to trust from a place of hopelessness.
He dares to hope.

Dare to Hope

And the key, as we have seen is verse 21.
Lamentations 3:21.
Lamentations 3:21 ESV
21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
This is our YET BRIDGE.
The NLT reads, “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this…”
I am not a huge NLT fan, but I like the rendering.
What restores hope to a hopeless soul?
TRUTH.
THE CHARACTER and PERSON of God. THE WHO.
Even while the WHY exists, the WHO restore hope.
Our hope does NOT come from a change in circumstance.
Rather, hope comes from truth that we cling to when our circumstance does not change.
Lament leads us here. Or it can, if we let it.
Connecting faith to lament in his book Lament for a Son, Nicolas Wolterstorff writes, “Faith is a footbridge that you don’t know will hold you up over the chasm until you’re forced to walk out onto it.” Mark Vroegop
So what truths in particular gave Jeremiah hope? Pastor Mark suggests four.

Hope Springs From Truth Rehearsed

In the middle of Lamentations 3:22-33, are four truths upon which Jeremiah anchored his heart.
God’s mercy never ends
Lam 3:22-24.
Lamentations 3:22–24 ESV
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
The Hebrew word of love here is hesed. This refers to God’s covenant love. The “covenant love” of the Lord never ceases.
God has promised that his love will never end, never leave us.
Romans 8:37-39.
Romans 8:37–39 ESV
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Love here in Greek is Agape. That unconditional love. The NT counterpart to the OT Hebrew Hesed...
Once God makes covenant, there is no revoking it. It is unconditional and irrevocable.
His mercies are “new” every morning.
Not new in terms of something that never existed before, but new in terms of FRESH displays of. We see new evidence, new expressions, new expression of his love every day. Every day his grace and mercy is present with us to meet our needs for that day.
In this way, we can never exhaust it. Everyday it starts fresh.
Notice verse 24...
Lamentations 3:24 ESV
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
In light of all the loss and sorrow that Jeremiah is lamenting…this statement is huge.
He has been reduced, Israel has been reduced to nothing.
And YET, there is still hope because GOD is enough.
Pastor Mark says...
When God strips you of everything, and all you have is him, you have enough. Therefore, lament can awaken you to the truth of God’s hesed. It can remind you that God is everything you really need. Mark Vroegop
Lament can awaken our souls to the reality of God’s ALL sufficiency in our lives. He is enough. This is a truth we need to cling to more and more.
As Americans with our plush living, I think it is a reality we have forgotten.
Listen, God never stops begin God. His love never ends. He never stops being enough. Our hope is NOT in a change of circumstance. Our hope is in God.
Secondly, we can learn that....
Waiting is not a waste.
Lamentations 3:25–27 shows us the value of living in the space between suffering and restoration. Lament serves us well as we mourn and wait.
Lamentations 3:25–27 ESV
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
There is profit and benefit in waiting.
Consider 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.
2 Corinthians 4:16–18 ESV
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Nothing is waisted in God’s economy. Not even our suffering and waiting. ALL of it is working for our benefit and for God’s glory.
Pastor Mark points out that in the Hebrew, verses 25-27 all begin with the word Good.
Good is the Lord to those who wait for him
Good it is that the one should wait quietly
Good it is for a man to bear the yoke
There is good that comes from God in the waiting, in the struggle, in the suffering.
The waiting is not waisted.
Granted, this is hard. I struggle with this. Even this week, as we wait for our season of struggle to pass. Just as we think we might be past it, something else drops. I have gotten weary and discouraged. I have struggled to cling to hope.
Why is waiting so difficult? Because it feels as if we’re not doing anything. And that’s the point. You’re not doing anything, but God is. However, waiting is one of the greatest applications of the Christian faith. You are putting your trust in God, placing your hope in him, and expressing confidence that he is in control. Waiting puts us in an uncomfortable place where we’re out of control of our lives. Remember in chapter 4, when I called this “active patience”? That season is when God will shape and define us the most. Mark Vroegop
Embrace the waiting for the eternal weight of glory it is producing. Lament can help you here.
The final word has not been spoken.
Lamentations 3:31-32.
Lamentations 3:31–32 ESV
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever, 32 but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
Our suffering is not the final word.
Suffering WILL NOT HAVE the final word.
Suffering is NOT the final destination.
Did you hear that?
Did your faith latch on to that?
Read it again....
Lamentations 3:31–32 ESV
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever, 32 but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
Now, I realize this is a promise specific to Israel in their specific case, but let me point back to 2 Cor 4:16-18.
2 Corinthians 4:16–18 ESV
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
This light MOMENTARY affliction…temporary...
Suffering does not have the final word.
This is where our hope lies.
In the WHO behind it all.
Pastor Mark...
The third truth relates to our belief about the future. Suffering often involves the fear that it will never end or that it has no purpose. That is why the Bible is clear about suffering not being the final word. The biblical promises about God’s purposes, his character, and the future are all designed to remind us that suffering and pain are not ultimately victorious. Lament not only mourns the brokenness of suffering; it also looks expectantly toward what is yet to come. Lamentations 3:31–32 is filled with great hope and encouragement: For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love. Mark Vroegop
Suffering has it’s purpose.
Suffering has its limits.
These verses reveal that hope to us.
Lament can point our hearts toward an assured victory which is still yet future victory. Even though we shed many a tear now, we can look with hope to this promise and believe that rest and deliverance is yet to come.
God is always good.
Lamentations 3:33.
Lamentations 3:33 ESV
33 for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men.
God is not sitting back taking great (or even marginal) delight in his children’s suffering. God does not somehow get off on watching his creation suffer.
We cannot see the whole narrative of what God is doing. We have to trust that everything he is permitted has a good and holy purpose. He does not inflict pain needlessly. But he will USE it for His glory and our good.
This is why we MUST know the WHO behind the WHY.
Not only is all your affliction momentary, not only is all your affliction, light in comparison to eternity and the glory there, but all of it is totally meaningful. Every millisecond all of your pain from the fallen nature or fallen man, every millisecond of your misery in the path of obedience is producing a peculiar glory you will get because of that. I don't care if it was cancer or criticism. I don't care if it was slander or sickness. It wasn't meaningless. It's doing something; it's not meaningless. Of course you can't see what it's doing! Don't look to what is seen. When your mom dies. When you kid dies. When you get cancer at 40. When a car careens in the sidewalk and takes her out. Don't say this meaningless. It's not. It's working for you an eternal weight of glory. Therefore, therefore, do not lose heart. But take these truths and day by day, focus on them. Preach them to yourself every morning. Get alone with God, and preach His Word into your mind until your heart sings with confidence that you are new and cared for. John Piper
Speak truth to yourself. Renew your mind with truth. God is using your suffering, my suffering, our suffering to produce a peculiar weight of glory.
Rest in that
Hard is hard. But hard is not bad.
Trust that.

Conclusion

Big Idea: “Lament allows you to hear the lessons God intends to teach you through pain.”
Hope Springs from Truth Rehearsed
Lamentations 3: Pointing the heart to Truth
Two Different Perspectives in the Same Chapter
Dare to Hope
Hope Springs from Truth Rehearsed
As you reflect upon these truths and seek to apply them to your life this week, it is my prayer that you will be growing together to become more like Jesus for the glory of God.

Application

Prior to reading this chapter what was your perspective on Lamentations 3:22–23 or the song “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”? How has this chapter changed your understanding of the context of this text?
What comfort can we take from different perspectives on suffering in Lamentations 3?
Describe a time in your life when you would swing from “There’s no hope” to “I can trust you, Lord!” What was that experience like?
Does the phrase “dare to hope” resonate with you? What is risky about hope when you are suffering?
Which of the four heart-shaping truths are most applicable to your life right now? Why?
In your own lament, what other truths do you need to rehearse? Take some time to write them down and pray over them.
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