The prophet pauses. His thoughts hang in the air like smoke. Sweat drips on the paper. He lingers on all that he wrote. His mind exhausted and his spirit weak, he does the only thing he can do. He prays. The prayer, no longer a poem, has broken free from the form of the earlier writings. This is different. This is a fatigued, tired, and hurting prayer. This is the last chapter of Lamentations. What might Jeremiah be saying to us from this ancient prayer today?
In the closing chapter of Lamentations, Jeremiah prays. And no, I don’t mean a rote prayer before a meal. I mean a raw, full of emotion, pouring out of his heart prayer. In chapter 4, his last poem, He focused on all that the people of Judah had lost. All the good things they enjoyed were taken from them. The mighty had fallen, and the gold dimmed. All of this was the result of centuries of sin. They deserved this. Jeremiah knew that. However, the pain and desolation that had led to desperation had become too much.
The judgment became overwhelming. You see this with each poem. The style of each poem changes in its structure. You see the exhaustion setting in. By the last chapter, all Jeremiah could do was pray. If you recall the past few weeks, prayer was not a last resort tool. Early and often, prayers had been offered. Jeremiah encouraged his readers to pray as they recited the lament. This prayer was different. He doesn’t address his audience. With the last bit of strength he could muster, he poured out his heart. Yet God is silent. However, Jeremiah knows that God hears. Jeremiah prays honestly, hopefully, and painfully.
As we enter into this prayer, let us open our hearts to hear the prophet’s prayer. Let us see his honesty and raw emotion. Let us witness how he laments. He calls out the pain he sees (chapter 1). He confesses his sin and the sin of the people. He proclaims God’s sovereignty over all things. Jeremiah models in this prayer, whether by desperation or intention, how to lament through praying. Let us see, learn, and imitate. Let this prayer guide and aid us as we lament.
Pray Hopefully
5:19
Jeremiah began his prayer by begging God to remember them. It is interesting if you read through this chapter, how Jeremiah fully expresses the range of emotions he feels. He begins with honesty. He feels forgotten. But God has not forgotten His people. God certainly saw the suffering and deeply cares. Following verse 1 is a list of all the things that he saw and mourned. Things were bad. By verse 16, Jeremiah proclaims a ‘woe’ because of their sin. He knew that God was judging them rightly. Knowing that didn’t numb the pain.
Their joy had gone, and their crown had fallen. This is the image of utter defeat. Mount Zion, which is deep in spiritual meaning for Judah, is desolate and populated by jackals. Where can the seeds of hope grow? Not in the Temple, it was destroyed. Not in the king of Judah, he had been carried away. Not in their youth, they had become slaves. Not in Mount Zion, it was desolate. No, they could only hope in the eternal reign of God. That is the only place hope can grow and thrive.
“But you, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures to all generations.” Through desperate pleas and sorrows, Jeremiah expressed hope and faith that God reigns, even as Babylon rules over Judah. For Babylon’s reign was temporary, but God’s is eternal. Beloved, know that even as evil seems to be winning and sorrows grow, God is and forever will be on the throne. He sat over Babylon and directed their rise and fall. He sits as King over all sorrow and all enemies. He will see their rise and fall. So don’t hope in the temporary and fading things of Earth. Hold on to the throne of God, which goes on forever!
This was the hope that Jeremiah had. It was that God’s reign and His favor were not tied to temporary kingdoms but to His faithful love. Mount Zion was cast down, but “you, O Lord, reign forever.” Through the pain expressed in this prayer, he pauses for a moment to remember that God’s rule will never end. Just as His favor had gone through the generations before Jeremiah, he knew God’s favor would continue long after he was gone. This truth he expressed, perhaps desperately, but honestly and hopefully to God.
Beloved, as you pray, do so with the hope that is grounded in the eternal reign of God. Recognize that God is far greater than our present circumstances. They are real to us and painful, but they are temporary. We cannot find hope, soul-satisfying hope, in things that do not last. Find hope in God, who rules over all time and whose reign will never come to an end. Pour your heart out to God with that hope in mind.
Because God’s rule extends from generation to generation, God will always have a people. Things were bad for Judah. Only a remnant remained. And from that remnant, God would again build a people. From that remnant, God would send Jesus to die and rise again. God will keep His word and restore His people. His throne endures despite our sin. His love and grace extend for eternity. And because of His love, we can be the people of God.
Pray Honestly
5:20
Jeremiah began his prayer with “Lord, Remember us,” then he gave the hopeful statement in verse 19. And if he had ended the prayer there, it would have been great. What a high note. But Jeremiah prays with honesty and pain. He felt forgotten. And again he asked God the question, “Have you forgotten us forever?” What a question. First, let us note that Jeremiah expressed this feeling to God. We may wince at the mention of such a question. We may even ask, “Is he allowed to say that?” The answer is yes, because he is expressing his pain to the loving Father who listens.
Interestingly, God does not intervene and answer Jeremiah’s question. In the book of Job, Job asked the same question, and God answered. But in Lamentations, God is silent. This can be unsettling for us as we read this. You should feel uncomfortable, yet strangely familiar. You are not alone in feeling this way, Jeremiah did. Isn’t it amazing that through the Holy Spirit, we have this prayer recorded for all time, and it matches how we sometimes feel today. You are not alone. It is natural in times of hurt to feel like God has left you and forgotten you. And you can express that feeling to the Father, and He hears.
But the question Jeremiah asked is answered through the lens of history. God did not forget them. And God will not forget you. If only Jeremiah could see what God was doing with the people exiled. God was with Daniel in Babylon. God was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they were thrown into the fire. He was with His people as Ezra and Nehemiah rebuilt the city of Jerusalem. God was with His people as Jesus stepped into human history. God never forgets His people. When we step back and see the whole picture, we are amazed.
I think heaven will be like that, too. We will get to step back and look at all the pain we experienced and all the hurts, and see where God was with us through all of it. I think we will be amazed as we hear stories from believers all around the world and throughout time of God’s provision and plan. I look forward to that day. Beloved, God has not forgotten you. It’s okay to feel like that and even to express that thought to God. But let the hope of God’s eternal throne anchor you to God.
So pray honestly. Express your hurts and feelings to God, and don’t dress up your words. But don’t close your eyes to everything around you either. When we are hurting and we feel like God has left us, look to the cross of Christ. See how much Jesus suffered so that we can be the family of God. He has given us the blessing of a global family and a local church to bear one another’s burdens and pains. Pray for one another. Remind one another that God has not forgotten. Our pain is real, but so is the hope we have in Christ. Jesus will outlast our pain. Wait for the day we get to look back as a church family and remember the pain, but see it from the perspective of what God has done.
Pray Relationally
5:21-22
Judah’s sin had taken them away from God. Outside of God’s presence, they found a harsh and unwelcoming world. Their suffering was meant to turn their hearts back to God. Jeremiah now begs for the community to be restored. The heart of his plea was the hope of relationship with God. He desired a restoration of the covenant and relationship they had previously enjoyed.
As we pray and lament, let us do so with relationship in mind. Let our laments draw us close to each other, and most importantly, to God. Let the sting of pain and sorrow be a reminder of our need to be with the Father. Let us long to fellowship together in the presence of our King. Let our prayers be saturated with this longing. Our prayers are not complete if they lack a relational call. Let us call each other back to God as well. We must be a community that revels in the presence of God together.
God will restore us, but it will not be like in the days of old. No, God will restore us to something better. One day, we will walk with God in a new creation. No more pain and sorrow. Those things will be a distant memory. Our relationship with God will be complete and eternal. Let that warm our weary souls on the coldest night.
If the prayer ended there, it would be another high point. But again, Jeremiah continues. “Unless you have utterly rejected us.” See in this prayer, where hope and doubt mix. If God willed them out forever, they would be. What do we do with this ending? We get to answer this statement. God did not and will not reject us forever if we are in Christ. Jesus is the answer to Jeremiah’s unsettling ending. The reader should be longing for resolution. And we find it only in Jesus, coming to earth, enduring pain along with us, dying for our sins, and defeating death. His life, death, and resurrection answer Jeremiah’s question. No, God has not rejected us forever. He plans to restore His people to Himself. Pray with such things in mind.
Conclusion
Amid our heartache, it is okay to cry out, “Lord, remember us.” As the sea of life sweeps over us, look to God’s throne. Pray in hope of His eternal kingdom. It will survive every storm. There is hope for a future as God’s people. He has brought us into a relationship with Him. So call out to Him honestly. Let us enjoy the fruits of the relationship with God and each other as we mourn and lament. Be a church that prays hope-filled prayers, honestly, and relationally. Beloved, let us lament and pray this way together.
“Lord, things are not what they should be, but Father, You reign on Your throne forever. Even when things in our lives don’t reflect that. Woe to us, for we have sinned against You. Forgive us by Your faithful love. Bring us back to Yourself, for nothing else can. Restore and renew us through Jesus. He is our hope in the storm. May we find hope in the one who calms the wind and the waves with mere words. Let us hope in the one who holds creation together moment by moment. Hear our prayers, see our pain. Give us the gift of hope and faith to endure until we rest in Your arms. Amen.”