L
Lost in Sin!
Guest
I would like to take a look at Lamentations 3:31-33 today.
"For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. For He does not willingly bring affliction, or grief to the children of men."
FOR MEN ARE NOT CAST OFF BY THE LORD FOREVER. This verse shows us why it is necessary that we experience backsliding & discipline in our lives. The Lord had to let His people experience so many trials, so that they would, (Hopefully! ), realize their need for Him & ONLY Him alone! All through the OT, men must have felt that God had deserted them. Especially look at the book of Psalms. How many times do we see the writers ask the question-"Where are you, God?" Here are just a few examples!
Psalm 10:1-"Why, O Lord, do You stand so far off? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?"
Psalm 13:1-"How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?"
Psalm 22:1-(I think that we ALL know this one!)-"My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?"
But did God ever turn His face away from His people forever? NO! He was always there for them, when they needed Him the most! I keep thinking of 1 Corinthians 10:13, where we read-"No temptation has seized you, except that which is common to man. And God is faithful, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide a way out, that you can stand up under it."
For the OT Jews, this meant repenting of their disobediance, & it really is no different for us Believers today! But we are much more fortunate that those OT Jews. God was very impersonal, to most of the Jews, because only certain ones would ever be allowed to GET close to Him! But today, we can not only get close to God, but actually have the Lord dwelling inside in each one of us, by the power of the Holy Spirit! Praise God! The point here is-God doesn't let anything keep His love away from for those He loves, forever!
THOUGH HE BRINGS GRIEF, HE WILL SHOW COMPASSION, SO GREAT IS HIS UNFAILING LOVE. This verse would seem to indicate that God is the CAUSE of grief. But in reality-it means that God ALLOWS grief in our lives, so that we may see how much GREATER His compassion is for us! How many of us who have "backslidden", have felt the love of God greater than before once we came back? (I KNOW that this is true for ME!)
FOR HE DOES NOT WILLINGLY BRING AFFLICTION, OR GRIEF, TO THE CHILDREN OF MEN. This verse also shows the Omnipotnce of God, as well as His "humanity!" He doesn't enjoy seeing His people afflicted or hurting. Remember, way back in Genesis 1:26, where we read that "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our own image, in our likeness.......". While this COULD possibly refer to "physical characteristics", I think it more refers to all the emotions that both God & man share.
Sadness-"Jesus wept". (John 11:35)
Anger-"Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses...." (Exodus 4:14) ".....the anger of the Lord burned against the people...." (Numbers 11:33-just to mention a few!)
Joy-".....for the joy of the Lord is your strength...." (Nehemiah 8:10)
Laughter-"The One enthroned in Heaven laughs...."
(Psalm 2:4) ".....but the Lord laughs at the wicked....."(Psalm 37:13)
When we laugh, God laughs.
When we cry, God cries.
When we grieve, God grieves.
Now what other god is as truely personal as OUR GOD?
ANYTHING that we go through, God DOES have a reason for it! Remember-we can't see the whole picture-but God CAN!
I really like what it says in the "Quest" edition of the NIV-"abandonment, sorrow, struggle, & pain are all transitory. Wholeness, healing, joy, & peace, are permanant, for they are a part of the very nature of God. This is what sustains a Believer through difficult times."
Let us pray.
"Heavenly Father, we give you praise for all the rough times that we go through. We freely admit that we don't understand why we have to, but we know, deep in our hearts that You & You alone do indeed, have a purpose for all things. We turn to You, Lord Jesus, for we are only weak humans, who have such limited visions, knowing that You see the whole picture, & that You do indeed have a reason for everything. We sing of Your lovingkindness, because we know the truth of Your Word, where it says that all things work together for the good of those that love God. We praise You & You alone, because of the love that You showed us by dying, so that we may live. To You be all glory, praise, & honor forever! And all God's people said..........AMEN!"
Bill :fadein:
"For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. For He does not willingly bring affliction, or grief to the children of men."
FOR MEN ARE NOT CAST OFF BY THE LORD FOREVER. This verse shows us why it is necessary that we experience backsliding & discipline in our lives. The Lord had to let His people experience so many trials, so that they would, (Hopefully! ), realize their need for Him & ONLY Him alone! All through the OT, men must have felt that God had deserted them. Especially look at the book of Psalms. How many times do we see the writers ask the question-"Where are you, God?" Here are just a few examples!
Psalm 10:1-"Why, O Lord, do You stand so far off? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?"
Psalm 13:1-"How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?"
Psalm 22:1-(I think that we ALL know this one!)-"My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?"
But did God ever turn His face away from His people forever? NO! He was always there for them, when they needed Him the most! I keep thinking of 1 Corinthians 10:13, where we read-"No temptation has seized you, except that which is common to man. And God is faithful, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide a way out, that you can stand up under it."
For the OT Jews, this meant repenting of their disobediance, & it really is no different for us Believers today! But we are much more fortunate that those OT Jews. God was very impersonal, to most of the Jews, because only certain ones would ever be allowed to GET close to Him! But today, we can not only get close to God, but actually have the Lord dwelling inside in each one of us, by the power of the Holy Spirit! Praise God! The point here is-God doesn't let anything keep His love away from for those He loves, forever!
THOUGH HE BRINGS GRIEF, HE WILL SHOW COMPASSION, SO GREAT IS HIS UNFAILING LOVE. This verse would seem to indicate that God is the CAUSE of grief. But in reality-it means that God ALLOWS grief in our lives, so that we may see how much GREATER His compassion is for us! How many of us who have "backslidden", have felt the love of God greater than before once we came back? (I KNOW that this is true for ME!)
FOR HE DOES NOT WILLINGLY BRING AFFLICTION, OR GRIEF, TO THE CHILDREN OF MEN. This verse also shows the Omnipotnce of God, as well as His "humanity!" He doesn't enjoy seeing His people afflicted or hurting. Remember, way back in Genesis 1:26, where we read that "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our own image, in our likeness.......". While this COULD possibly refer to "physical characteristics", I think it more refers to all the emotions that both God & man share.
Sadness-"Jesus wept". (John 11:35)
Anger-"Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses...." (Exodus 4:14) ".....the anger of the Lord burned against the people...." (Numbers 11:33-just to mention a few!)
Joy-".....for the joy of the Lord is your strength...." (Nehemiah 8:10)
Laughter-"The One enthroned in Heaven laughs...."
(Psalm 2:4) ".....but the Lord laughs at the wicked....."(Psalm 37:13)
When we laugh, God laughs.
When we cry, God cries.
When we grieve, God grieves.
Now what other god is as truely personal as OUR GOD?
ANYTHING that we go through, God DOES have a reason for it! Remember-we can't see the whole picture-but God CAN!
I really like what it says in the "Quest" edition of the NIV-"abandonment, sorrow, struggle, & pain are all transitory. Wholeness, healing, joy, & peace, are permanant, for they are a part of the very nature of God. This is what sustains a Believer through difficult times."
Let us pray.
"Heavenly Father, we give you praise for all the rough times that we go through. We freely admit that we don't understand why we have to, but we know, deep in our hearts that You & You alone do indeed, have a purpose for all things. We turn to You, Lord Jesus, for we are only weak humans, who have such limited visions, knowing that You see the whole picture, & that You do indeed have a reason for everything. We sing of Your lovingkindness, because we know the truth of Your Word, where it says that all things work together for the good of those that love God. We praise You & You alone, because of the love that You showed us by dying, so that we may live. To You be all glory, praise, & honor forever! And all God's people said..........AMEN!"
Bill :fadein: