TEARS FOR THE WORLD

A few blogs ago I wrote about the prophet Jeremiah.  He wrote another book of the Bible, too,  the book of Lamentations.  His  first book carried his name, Jeremiah, and warned us of the fall of his city and his people.  Lamentations was written after the fall of Jerusalem and captures the sadness that Jeremiah felt at the suffering and destruction of his nation and his people.


The people of Jeremiah's day had been warned many times that their rejection of God would lead to their downfall.  They hated Jeremiah; they thought he was a troublemaker.  They wished he would shut up, that he would die, that he would go someplace else and cry! They did not cry at what Jeremiah had to say; they did not see his tears as he cried for them. He cried because his heart was broken because the people had rejected their God.


Probably, Jeremiah's main purpose of writing Lamentations was to teach people that to disobey God is to invite disaster, and to show that God suffers when His people suffer.  It is hard to understand that the God of the Universe would suffer when we suffer, but the love God has for us is beyond our understanding.  And I believe it is true; God cares for us that much, that He may even cry for us.


Now, I wonder!  What kind of things makes a person cry? If the person is centered on him or herself, he or she might weep because her pride was hurt, or he lost something that was important to him.  If he or she is centered on God, there may be weeping because people sin and reject God, and others will suffer from their sinfulness.


Our  world is filled with war, hate, injustice, poverty, selfishness, and rebellion against God.  Our tears flow at the sight of these things knowing that they must hurt God, as well as those affected by them. This is a fallen world, and many are hurt by its falling. We are all the fallen. How can we who are part of the fallen accept what we have and what we are and become a blessing to one another?


God will weep for us if we do not know or understand. But He will ask us to know what we must do.  We must act out of love for Him and out of desire to keep the people from weeping. Let's not weep for ourselves, at least.  Let's not weep for others, but stand by them.  Be an extra pair of hands.  Be an extra eye to read.  Be an extra leg to stand, or run, or walk.  Be an extra voice to be heard or to pray. Give an extra meal to serve. Be the whisper of God, saying, "Come to Me."


Remembering, "We  are the fallen.  He is the Creator!"


Jo in MN