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Day 268 Lamentations 2:20 “See, O LORD, and consider! To whom have You done this? Should the women eat their offspring; the children they cuddled? Should the priest and prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord? 21 “Young and old lie on the ground in the streets. My virgins and my young men have fallen by the sword. You slew them in the day of Your anger; You slaughtered and not pitied. 22 “You invited as to a feast day. The terrors that surround me. In the day of the LORD’S anger, there was no refugee or survivor. Those whom I have borne and brought up my enemies destroyed.” Life is harsh. Even when we don’t understand, we do. We know the reason why, yet we question, asking for further illumination to the trouble all around us. Jeremiah knew God’s judgment was coming. He warned the people. He begged them to turn away from their sin and back to God. He told them what would happen if they didn’t. When God brought His judgment against Judah and Jerusalem, Jeremiah knew the reason was because of their disobedience. God caused the walls of Jerusalem to be torn down, the temple ruined, and the people killed or sent into exile. Jeremiah knew the reason, yet he asked God to look at what He did to Jerusalem. He lamented over the destruction his eyes saw. He didn’t need clarity, but he wanted it. As Christians, you know the reason for the trouble you face. You hang your head in shame and pray, asking God to clarify the situation, knowing in your heart, you already have the answer. When was the last time you woke with praise on your lips for all God did for you? When was the last time you went to bed with praise on your lips for bringing you to the end of your day? When was the last time you considered spending time with God instead of going out and doing your own thing because you could? When was the last time you put God first in your life? If these are hard questions to read, let alone consider, it’s time to turn your heart back to God. Acknowledge Him and turn your life around. Joel 2:12 “Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” 13 So rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. The only way to turn your heart to God is through repentance. When you cry out to God with a broken spirit that only He can mend, He will put you back together. He will make you whole. God will cleanse your sin and wipe it from the book of life. He will put a stamp across your life, not guilty, and will wash you clean in the blood of His Son Jesus and put on you clean robes of righteousness. Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise. Examine your life. Pray, seek God’s face. Confess your sin. When you do, God will forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Let’s pray: Father, I’m sorry. Forgive me for putting my agenda ahead of Yours. I’m ashamed of my life because it doesn’t reflect You or give You honor and glory. Help me push me aside and put You back on the throne of my life where You belong. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 9 March 2022 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay.