My church recently did a series called "9 Weeks, 9 Scriptures." They invited members of the congregation to submit their favorite scriptures and explain why the scripture was meaningful. I emailed our pastor my favorite scripture, an obscure passage from Lamentations. I was so surprised and excited that mine was chosen! This meant I'd get to hear a whole sermon preached on something that was so personal to me. Then, anxiety set in because I knew I'd have to make a video and come up with something profound to say. Luckily, my pastor is good at editing.
Lamentations is one of the most depressing books of the Bible. The Israelites are about to be taken into Babylonian exile. There is war and famine. Famine so severe that parents were killing their children and eating them. In my comfortable first world surroundings, this is difficult to imagine.
But in the middle of this horror, the writer says, "I'm sticking with God... He's all I've got left." He goes on to remind us that God is faithful, and that it is a good thing to quietly hope for help from God. He counsels that when life is hard, it's not useful to ask questions. You should just be still and wait for hope to appear.
I feel like I am in a season of quiet hope, and there is a lot of wisdom in this advice. When we are able to find hope and change our attitudes, it is the first step in changing our situations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiWkdElIciI
I mentioned my friends in the video, and how I was certain God would give them the desires of their hearts. I had specific friends in mind- my single friends, and a friend of mine who had been struggling with infertility. This friend attended church with me to hear the sermon on Lamentations, and I was delighted to introduce her to my pastor after church.
"Remember the friend I was telling you about? She's pregnant." Hopefully she didn't mind me sharing this with a stranger, but my heart was overflowing with happiness for her.
My pastor grinned and said, "Hope realized."
It was a beautiful moment.
Lamentations is one of the most depressing books of the Bible. The Israelites are about to be taken into Babylonian exile. There is war and famine. Famine so severe that parents were killing their children and eating them. In my comfortable first world surroundings, this is difficult to imagine.
But in the middle of this horror, the writer says, "I'm sticking with God... He's all I've got left." He goes on to remind us that God is faithful, and that it is a good thing to quietly hope for help from God. He counsels that when life is hard, it's not useful to ask questions. You should just be still and wait for hope to appear.
I feel like I am in a season of quiet hope, and there is a lot of wisdom in this advice. When we are able to find hope and change our attitudes, it is the first step in changing our situations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiWkdElIciI
I mentioned my friends in the video, and how I was certain God would give them the desires of their hearts. I had specific friends in mind- my single friends, and a friend of mine who had been struggling with infertility. This friend attended church with me to hear the sermon on Lamentations, and I was delighted to introduce her to my pastor after church.
"Remember the friend I was telling you about? She's pregnant." Hopefully she didn't mind me sharing this with a stranger, but my heart was overflowing with happiness for her.
My pastor grinned and said, "Hope realized."
It was a beautiful moment.
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