do not fear – Be Still…

Lamentations 3:40-66 – Emotional Rollercoaster

Read Lamentations 3:40-66

A rollercoaster of emotions concludes the third lament. I’m sure you can recall a time in your life when you were on that “ride.” The writer wisely suggests the solution is to turn back to God. No matter what we may be going through, the answer is always to invite God into our situation. Yet, the writer’s guilt is clear. He feels unforgiven, unable to imagine God’s mercy.

Is that what stops us from devoting ourselves to God? Do we feel guilty, unworthy of his love? Thankfully, those are feelings we can control. We are indeed guilty of living sinful lives and should acknowledge that. Never forget that despite what we’ve done, we are loved beyond measure by our heavenly Father. Instead of feeling guilty for our blunders in this life, we should focus on how we can do better. For us Christ followers, we need to follow our leader and be more like Jesus!

Mark 5:35-43 – Trust Jesus

Read Mark 5:35-43

I love a happy ending, don’t you? We first met Jairus, the girl’s father, in our last reading. Do you think he felt pushed aside or marginalized when Jesus got sidetracked with the woman who had touched his garment? Our passage starts with news of the passing of Jairus’ daughter. Jairus’ emotions had to be all over the place.

Thankfully, Jesus overheard the news. We’re not told how Jairus was responding to the message, but Jesus’ words had to have been a bit confusing. Jesus told Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” Do you think Jairus even heard Jesus? I can just imagine a father’s wailing cry after hearing his precious daughter had died.

Jeremiah 4:23-31 – Like a Nightmare

Read Jeremiah 4:23-31

The first thing that darted through my mind as I read this passage was recollection of a recurring nightmare I’ve had where everything looks different. It is my house and my block, but there is absolutely nothing else that is recognizable. Frightening. Did Jeremiah feel like his vision of the future was like a horrible nightmare?

This is one dream that was going to come true. All that he had known would one day be gone, desolate, empty, and in ruins. None of us want to imagine our lives being turned upside down like that. To speak to the magnitude of the destruction, don’t forget that all “towns lay in ruins, crushed by the Lord’s fierce anger.” God does this “on purpose.”