Wait for God
For the days when life beats you down and the knock out clock is ticking
===
The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
Lamentations 3:25 (ESV)
===
Some of the deepest, most calming verses I’ve read come from Lamentations.
Which is a bit strange because it’s a whole book of crying out to God in the middle of pain.
If you didn’t know, Lamentations is a collection of laments. i.e., a song expressing grief. In this case, it’s songs about the grief that Judah goes through as they’re invaded from pagan foreigners, their cities are destroyed, and they are ripped away from their homes.
Jeremiah, the author, was called “the Weeping Prophet” for good reason.
I have no frame of reference to understand this heartache.
None.
Sure, I could do things to try and imagine it. To try and put myself “in their shoes” so to speak. But those are small images compared to the pain they actually experienced.
And even though I can’t imagine that pain…
…the pain I deal with when life beats me down is valid too.
The New Testament book of Hebrews tells us that we have a high priest (Jesus) who can empathize with our pain. Because He came to earth and experienced life & temptation like us, He understands our troubles.
That’s one of the realities of Christianity I love — that God is close to us, not some far off “clockmaker.”
It’s there from the very beginning: God breathes into mankind the breath of life. Think CPR and you’ll understand how close He gets. Much closer than simply speaking creation into existence, like He does with everything else in the universe!
God loves us. Intimately.
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2025 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV®Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.