Lament No More

How many of you have told a lie today?

Some of you may think that you didn’t tell a lie today but chances are you probably did but maybe not in a way that you think. We all tell ourselves lies on a daily basis. We base our internal monologue off of what others tell us, what society tells us, off of what our jerk friends tell us, maybe off of what our boyfriends and girlfriends tell us.

What lies do we tell ourselves you might be asking?

Im ugly

Im weird

Im stupid

Im not like the other kids

All of these lies are from the enemy. I just want you all to know that none of these are true. They are lies. They are a tool used to drive a wedge in your psyche to make you feel like no one loves you not even Jesus.

Hope is Gone

Lamentations 3:1–20 ESV

I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long. He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; he has broken my bones; he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago. He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has made my chains heavy; though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; he has blocked my ways with blocks of stones; he has made my paths crooked. He is a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in hiding; he turned aside my steps and tore me to pieces; he has made me desolate; he bent his bow and set me as a target for his arrow. He drove into my kidneys the arrows of his quiver; I have become the laughingstock of all peoples, the object of their taunts all day long. He has filled me with bitterness; he has sated me with wormwood. He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.” Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me.

This Lament (passionate expression of grief or sorrow) is typically attributed to Jeremiah as the author.

In verse 1 we see he says that he is the man who has faced affliction. He has faced wrath. Who is the one bringing wrath here? Who is the one who driving them into darkness? The Lord

The author is upset at God and everything here is a metaphor for what all he blames God for. He feels like so much is wrong in his life. He feels like there are things that he shouldn’t have to go through in his life but he has. And who does he blame?

Why do you think that is? He has let in temptation and lies from the enemy.

He has listened to the enemy tell him Lamentations 3:4–6 “He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; he has broken my bones; he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago.” that was God I need to blame him

How many times do we tell ourselves lies like this?

How often do we let ourselves let these win?

Lamentations 3:7–9 “He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has made my chains heavy; though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; he has blocked my ways with blocks of stones; he has made my paths crooked.”

The writer truly felt like his prayers were even walled out. He felt like God wouldn’t even listen to his prayers. He felt these lies so strongly that God would literally shut his words out of his ears completely. I’m sure that several of us have felt that way. That we’ve done something so wrong that we don’t deserve a heavenly audience. That he would never forgive us. That he would never love us again. I know I’ve been there. I’ve felt that way more than a time or two. But those are lies that we are whispered by the enemy. when that seed is planted in our heart it takes hold and it does a lot of damage. But you know what even our writer here went through it. And this is scripture for a reason. It is God breathed so that we can learn from it. So that we can know that were not alone even in 2025 in feeling this way.

Hope Is Found

So if we read on in the chapter we see a change where we left off earlier

Lamentations 3:19–27 ESV

Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

After he writes about the lies of his affliction and what the world tells him. He writes about how he remembered the Lord and everything good that the Lord has done for him. Everything good that God does and ever will do will always out do the bad that this world tells you. All the lies the world screams in your face. God comes in a still small voice. The world will try to drown out the voice of God. We have to sit and meditate on his word. We have to spend time with God.

If you were born deaf and never learned asl obviously you wouldnt know your fathers voice. Thats what its like walking through life not reading scripture. That would be a pretty overwhelming existence. We cant give in to the lies.

You are smart

You are kind

You are important

You are beautiful

You do fit in

You are Loved

I want the band to come back here. While they play this song I want you all to come up here and take a note card and write a lie or insecurity that the enemy tells you. I want you to pray over it and give it to God tonight. After you write it on your card and pray over it come over here and throw it in the fire. This is a personal time of reflection and prayer so take the time you need.