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Jerusalem has fallen to the Babylonians. The prophet weeps. His people are scattered, thrown down, and desperate. What is he to do? For years, he had warned them that God was leaving. But they clung to the Temple. Even after God’s presence departed, the people continued to live their way while holding tightly to the building. The prophet, with bitter tears, remembered warning them that judgment was coming. Oh, how they should have wept and sought after God! But instead, they threw him in prison and despised his message. Now those same people are fainting from hunger in the streets.
What message could he bring them now? One of anger? After all, God had allowed Babylon to conquer them because of their sin. God had stopped fighting for this wayward people. But no, not a message of anger. God’s plans were never to leave them in hopelessness. His judgment was not the unleashing of wrath for wrath’s sake. If that were so, no one would be left.
No, Jeremiah needed to give them a message of hope. A hope that endured through the pain and the years. A hope that looked up to God for rescue from their ultimate enemy. He needed to point the people back to God. So, with tears flowing, the prophet penned the words of Lamentations 2.
We often long for a quick fix to our pain and suffering. I know Jeremiah did, and so did the people of Jerusalem. They were desperate and broken. If you read through the first 18 verses of this chapter, you will see the suffering and shame they endured. So what do we do when all we can see are trials? We look to the words Jeremiah gave to the people of Jerusalem.
We take our pain to the One who is big enough and strong enough to carry it. We take it to God. So this morning, as we continue our journey of lament, let us pour out our hearts to God with persistence and authenticity. He will hear and draw near. He hears. He welcomes. He will restore.
Cry Out to God
Lamentations 2:18
Last week, we talked about the biblical process of lament: naming the pain, confessing sin, and clinging to God. That process continues in this chapter. I almost rolled chapter 2 into chapter 1 last week, but these verses stopped me. We need to sit with them and reflect. Because during our lamenting, we cannot neglect the practical truth found in verses 18–20: We must cry out to God, for He is gracious to hear.
The concept of crying out to God appears over 100 times in Scripture. Yet we so often neglect to pour out our hearts honestly. More often, we bottle up our emotions, especially the negative ones, and keep them hidden. But you cannot hide them from God. He sees your weeping heart. He knows your brokenness. And He welcomes you to cry out to Him.
Leading up to verse 18, Jeremiah recounts the people’s suffering. He grieves the devastation he sees. And yet, again and again, he affirms that God was right, His people had sinned and rebelled. For those who remained, Jeremiah pleads: Cry out to God. This poem was meant to be memorized so that even in the darkest night, they would remember: God still hears.
All of the suffering they experienced was meant to point them back to the One they had abandoned, back to God. Crying out to God is a cry for a restored relationship. It is a longing to be in God’s presence. So Jeremiah calls the people to cry out before the One who listens.
As we reflect on our struggles, both personal and communal, let us bring our pain to God. Let us cry out to Him. Notice: we don’t have to hide our tears or polish our prayers. God invites us to come as we are, tears and all. Jeremiah believed with all his heart that God had not abandoned them. And even if you are walking through difficulty and grief, God has not abandoned you either.
Jeremiah urges the people to let their tears flow like a river. Hold nothing back. There is no shame in your tears before the loving Father. So let your tears fall as you speak to the One who deeply listens and cares for you. Jeremiah knew that crying out wouldn’t immediately fix the situation, but he also knew God had a plan to restore.
I know it can feel lonely when we’re hurting. It can feel pointless to cry to God. But we do so with hope. David Crowder has a beautiful line in one of his songs: “Earth has no sorrow that heaven can’t heal.” Our pain is real, but our hope isn’t in temporary relief; it’s in the eternal security found in Jesus. So “when sorrows like sea billows roll,” lift your eyes to Jesus. He is our hope for tomorrow and our strength in the storm. He defeated death and is coming again to establish His Kingdom. Cry out to God with unshakeable hope in an unmovable God.
Call Out with Persistence
Lamentations 2:18b–19
Next, Jeremiah tells us how to cry out to God: with persistence. He instructs the people to cry out “day and night,” with “no relief,” even in “the night watches.” This is what it means to cling to God. It’s not a half-hearted sigh. It’s a persistent, desperate wailing. He is telling them to take hold of God’s throne and refuse to let go. I think of Jacob wrestling with the angel in Genesis, an unceasing cry until every tear is poured out.
But we don’t often do this either in Taiwanese or Western culture. We don’t call out like this. This kind of emotional expression can feel foreign or even uncomfortable. Why is that?
Sometimes, it’s because we subconsciously believe we deserve what happened, like we’ve earned our suffering through some cosmic karma. But Beloved, there is no such force guiding your life. You do not need to fake happiness to appease some impersonal energy.
Other times, we’re ashamed to cry out to God so desperately. We worry we’ll lose face. But here’s the good news: Jesus has taken away our shame. There is no shame in coming before the Father and pouring out your heart. That feeling of shame may be the enemy trying to keep you from God’s presence.
Because of Jesus, we can all fall before God’s throne and pour out our hearts. And if you need more motivation, hear Jeremiah’s invitation: maybe some of us need to spend the rest of this day, or this week, crying out to God in prayer and tears.
The last part of verse 19 gives us the reason for persistence: “Pour out your hearts like water before the Lord’s presence.” Lamenting isn’t just about emotional release, it’s about entering God’s presence. It’s about relationship. So lift your hands to the One who welcomes you and the only One who can restore what is broken.
“Lift your arms to Him, for your children are fainting in the street.” The consequences of judgment have become overwhelming. The only response is to raise their hands to heaven and beg for grace. When sin, brokenness, and judgment surround us, the only way forward is to return to God. There are many paths to choose from, but only one leads to life. So lift your hands to the Father.
Cry Out for God’s Mercy
Lamentations 2:20
After recounting all the suffering and urging the people to persist in prayer, Jeremiah cries out for God’s mercy: “Look, Lord, and consider.” He pleads for God to see the devastation. Women are eating their children out of hunger. It’s a horrific, unimaginable scene. And we’re left wondering: how will God respond?
God still cares for His people. He is not finished with them. Even when the world is falling apart, He is not done with us. If we’re in sin, we must repent. If we’re sick or distressed, God is near to the brokenhearted. Even in judgment, He remains merciful. It may not feel like it in the moment, but God would redeem even this tragedy.
“To whom have you done this?” Jeremiah appeals to God’s covenant; he reminds God (and the people) that they are still His. So, Beloved, remember: even in sorrow, you are a child of the King. The people of Jerusalem, as they recited this lament, reminded themselves: We belong to God. He promised to restore His people. For now, the pain lingers, but it is temporary. God will restore. That promise was sealed at the cross.
Just as Jeremiah cried, “Look and consider,” God would later look upon His own Son and say the same. On the cross, Jesus bore all our shame, sin, and guilt. He took the curse and endured the wrath. That was mercy on full display. Through Christ, we have a way back to a fully restored relationship. He suffered so that we could be redeemed. Cry out for God’s mercy, and see it shining in the face of Jesus.
Conclusion
If I could sum up these verses in a prayer, it would be this:
“Father, see the broken ruins of my life—ruins You allowed because of my sin. I have rebelled. You have judged rightly. I am helpless before You. See my brokenness. I pour out my heart and lift my hands to You. Hear my sorrow and see my repentance. I am spent. Please return me to Your presence. Restore me through the power of the cross. Thank You, Jesus, my Savior. Set my feet back on Your path. Amen.”
Whatever you're going through or will go through, know this: God is near. So cry out to Him. Pour out your heart day and night. Plead for His mercy. Lay yourself bare before the One who listens, cares, and responds. Enter His presence today. That is true lament. Look to Christ. See God’s love for you and let it give you hope to endure until you see Jesus face to face.