A Steadfast Love

Have you seen an emotion wheel like this one on the screen?

How many ways do you think we can describe the emotion of angry, sad, or feeling bad?

Or let me put it another way.

If someone say, I feel lonely, isolated, abandoned, vulnerable, victimized, fragile,

despair, grief, powerless, guilty, ashamed, remorseful, depressed, empty, inferior, hurt, disappointed, or embarrassed,

which emotion do people typically lump these emotions under?

These 18 emotions, they often lump under sadness, and often is when we are overwhelmed with sadness.

We lost all our hope.

We want to complain about our situation and point our fingers at the blames of our sufferings.

Instead, we would be more appropriate to ask the question the writer of Lamentation posed in chapter 3, verse 39.

Why should the living complain when punished for their sins?

To help us to lament about what we are facing?

Today, I want to take you on a journey with the director of Lamentation to find hope in despair and in darkness.

To find our hope in God.

If you open our St. Paul's app, you will see the three points for today.

Hope eclipse, hope emerge, and hope everlasting.

From chapter 1 to chapter 3, verse 18 in the Lamentations,

the 62 verses are like dark shadows moving across and eclipse our light shores.

All become dark when the writer say in verse 19 to 20,

His soul is downcast within him, holy and utterly hopeless because of the desolation to his hometown Jerusalem.

The book of Lamentations is a gift from God for us to connect with him.

The writer invites us to join God's grieving over sins and destruction of his creations.

Barry Webb, a well-known Bible scholar, pointed out that grief itself, by its very nature,

is a somewhat formless thing.

We need external help to address it.

You might have experienced this yourself, especially some grief that hits you very hard.

Maybe a tough breakup, or someone very deep to you died,

or watching a loved one dealing with debilitating sickness.

As your mind moves in circle, repeatedly returning to the source of grief,

unable to leave it, unable to resolve it,

was it hard to identify precisely how you feel?

Lamentation is written in a form that allows grief to be fully exposed and expressed,

and yet, at the same time, sets a limit to it.

These poems explore grief in its many various aspects,

viewing it first from one's perspective,

and then from another, and yet another.

That is why there are seemingly many repetitions within the book,

especially in the first 62 verses,

as we slowly eclipse into complete darkness.

At one stage, the writer is observer,

describing Jerusalem's personified suffering and desolation,

and speak out on her behalf to cry out to God for help.

And it's during those pleads for God's attention to the suffering,

he confessed and admitted that the sufferings are deserved treatment

of the sin of rebellion and disobedience,

because the Lord is righteous.

At another stage, he tries to be a comforter,

to describe and understand what God is doing among them.

All he saw was God's anger and acting like an enemy against his people.

Instead of protecting and holding back the destruction,

God plundered and removed all they had.

The city wall, the temple,

things they trusted for protection and pleasure

were all utterly destroyed.

They have nothing they can live on.

People were dying everywhere due to famine,

and even considering cannibalism for survival.

Their utter hopelessness drives the writer into darkness,

as if all the sufferings and griefs become personal to him,

and God is punishing him with the rod of his wrath.

In chapter 3, verse 1 to 9,

he feels God has locked and imprisoned him in darkness,

besieged him, and surrounded him with bitterness and hardship.

And even he can get out in verse 10 to 18,

God lay a bear and a lion ready to mangle him.

And the hunter that should shoot the arrow at the predators

was aiming his arrow at him.

It was utterly hopeless and dark,

and it was at this point, in the dark,

the writer finally sees what God is doing

and fully connects with God in his grieving process

over sin and its destruction.

The whole range of human sorrow is explored.

Desserted, widowed, enslaved,

bittered, betrayed, exiled,

restless, distressed, lonely, grief,

wandering, afflicted,

laughed at, despised, naked,

filthy, dishonored, shamed,

desisted, crushed, held down,

slain and slaughtered.

The aid to sad of sorrow

is laid in front of the reader

in these 62 verses of Lament.

By the structure and pattern of these verses,

grief is shaped

and led to a conclusion

where hope emerges.

A point of complete darkness

where everything necessary has been said,

at least for the time being,

and a mourner can fall silent

without feeling he has been suppressed or stifled.

In this sense,

the structure and the pattern of the man

have more than aesthetic significance.

It also has a therapeutic

and pastoral significance.

After 64 verses

of expressing deep sufferings,

hope finally offered.

This hope has nothing to do

with what humans can do.

It is all based on God's grace.

The remembering up to 3,

verse 19 and 20

is involuntary,

driven by circumstance,

as the writer described

what he saw and how he felt.

However,

the call to mind

of chapter 3,

verse 21

is a deliberate choice

the sufferer has made.

In his choice,

hope emerges,

and hope emerges

because the writer

recalls,

repents,

and returns.

Reading verse 21 to 24,

Yet this I call to mind

and therefore I have hope.

Because of the Lord's great love,

we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning.

Great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself,

the Lord is my portion,

therefore I will wait for him.

Yet this I call to mind

reflects a sudden change

of perspective,

like something had hit the writer.

He called to mind

the realization

that people are not

entirely wiped out,

we are not consumed,

that the destruction

was on the city

and possessions,

on things

that have become

their idols,

but not on all the people.

Himself,

as a remnant,

is a living proof

of God's great love

and compassions.

These two words,

in original language,

were plural,

reflecting the multiple occasions

when God demonstrated

his great love

and compassions.

They are more than enough

to comfort

and deal

with the suffering

that the writer

has faced.

Hope emerges

with recalling

and realizing

that even

to be able

to lament

is a gift,

for to weep

is to be alive.

And to that extent,

being able

to lament

is based

on God's grace.

They are new

every morning,

similar to the light

that emerged

from the shadow

after the eclipse.

The light

of the new dawn

always emerged

after each night,

just like what

Jackie just shared

with us.

Eclipse

has always been

transitional.

Sooner or later,

the shadow

will pass.

The dark shadow

will move off

our light source

and hope

emerge.

All other

character

and attributes

of God

rise to the

writer's mind

in quick succession

after the writer's

call to mind

God's great love,

compassion,

and faithfulness.

With that,

the glimmers

of hope

grew brighter

and brighter.

The writer

calls to mind

the truth

about God

and finds

God's promise

and confidence

are still

valid.

The joy

of discovery

is conveyed

by the beauty

and freshness

expressed in the

rest of the chapter.

Verse 25,

The Lord

is good

to those

whose hope

is in him,

to the one

who seeks him.

It is good

to wait

quietly

for the salvation

of the Lord.

It is good

for a man

to bear the yoke

while he is young.

The theme

of a yoke

is not new

in lamentation.

Chapter 1,

verse 14

says,

My sins

have been

bound

into a yoke.

So,

and the writer

said,

It is good

for man

to bear

the yoke

while he is young.

He implies

that the earlier

we realize

our inability

to stop sinning

and accept

the responsibility

and consequence

of our sins,

the earlier

we will find

hope in our despair.

Verse 28,

Let him sit

alone in silence,

for the Lord

has laid it on him.

Let him bury

his face

in the dust.

There may yet

be hope.

Let him offer

his cheek

to one

who will strike

him and let

him be filled

with disgrace.

When we sit

alone in silence,

submit ourselves

under God,

not fighting him

or those he used

to correct us.

As we bury

our face

in the dust

as our sign

of repentance,

there we will

see hope emerge.

The darkness

will move away.

We read on

from verse 31,

For no one

is cast off

by the Lord

forever.

Though he brings

grief,

he will show

compassion.

So great

is unfailing love,

for he does not

willingly bring

affection or grief

to anyone.

God's anger

was real,

but not hasty

or irrational.

It did not

nullify

the essential

truth

about him,

which had been

revealed in history,

especially in the Exodus.

Judgment

was part

of the confident

relationship,

but did not

bring it

to an end.

The writer

remembers that

God himself

guaranteed

the continuance

of our relationship

with him

by his character.

We read on

in verse 37,

who can speak

and have it

happen

if the Lord

has not decreed it.

It is not

from the mouth

of the Most High

that both calamity

and good things

come.

At this point,

the writer

realized

one fundamental

thought

humans have

been doing

and asked

the question

I mentioned

earlier,

why shall

the living

complain

when punished

for their sins?

His answer

was,

instead of

complaining,

we should

examine ourselves,

confess,

and repent.

Verse 40,

let's examine

our ways

and test them.

Let's return

to the Lord.

Let's lift up

our hearts

and our hands

to God

in heaven

and say,

we have

sinned

and rebelled

and you have

not forgotten,

forgiven.

After we recall

and remember

God's character,

hope will

continue to

emerge

as we repent

of our sin.

Only

when our

laments

include

confession of

sin

does it

fully

come to

grip

with reality

and allow

the love,

compassion,

and faithfulness

of God

to heal

what is

broken

and make

restoration

complete.

Lament

without

confession

of our

sin

is merely

a complaint.

And after

we repent

and return

to the Lord,

we can

trust in

God's

judgment

because God

has not

found delight

in crushing

all the

prisoners of

the earth,

nor depriving

anyone of

justice,

nor subverting

a person

in a legal

dispute.

His

steadfast love

lever

ceases

and his

mercy lever

comes to

an end.

Hope

emerges

as we

return

to God

for he

heard

our

plea

and

come

near

when

we

call

him

and

he

say

to

us

do

not

fear.

Hope

emerges

when we

recall

who God

is

and repent

of our

sins

and return

to God.

In my

community

group,

someone brought

up an

essential

prerequisites

for us

to call

to mind

the character

of God

is

we need

to know

God.

That is

why

as a

body

of Christ

we make

growing

in our

relationship

with God

by having

four or

more

devotional

a week

our goal.

By

regularly

learning

under God

and submerging

yourself

in his

word,

we store

up

what we

can call

to mind

in our

darkness.

If we

have nothing

in our

tank

when you

find no

hope in

yourself,

where do

you look

for hope?

For hope

to emerge

in our

darkness,

for the

Holy Spirit

to remind

us of

the teaching

of God,

we need

to regularly

come under

God's

word and

store up

things that

the Holy Spirit

can recall

and remind

us of.

That is

why we

should aim

for four

or more

devotions

per week

to learn

from God.

Hope

eclipses

and emerge

is a

pattern

of our

life

that every

human

will face

and continue

till we

die.

Based on

the faithfulness

of God

to his

promise

to maintain

a relationship

with those

who trust

in him,

we can

wait in

hope for

darkness

to pass.

Hopeful

waiting is

justified

because hope

is dependent

on who

God is

rather than

on what

we can do

for ourselves.

God

is the

everlasting

hope.

God

always does

what he

says he

will do.

In

contrast to

people,

God does

not act

capriciously.

Human

beings are

inconsistent

and unreliable,

but not

the God

of the

Bible.

The God

of the

Bible is

everlasting.

He's

immutable,

which means

he is

entirely

and totally

consistent.

In

concise

theology,

J.R.

Parker

explains that

God is

totally

consistent

because he

is

necessarily

perfect.

He cannot

change

either for

better or

for the

worse.

Because God

is not

in the

time or

confined by

time,

he is not

subject to

change as

we are.

Far from

being detached

and immobile,

he is always

active in

his world,

constantly

making new

things sprung

forth.

But in

all this,

he expresses

his perfect

character in

perfect

consistency.

God's

unchanging

unchangelessness

or changelessness

does not

involve

unresponsive

indifference

to what

goes on

in this

world.

He is not

cold-hearted

towards our

suffering and

not be

moved by

them.

The

immorality

of God's

character is

precisely the

guarantee of

his adherence

to the

words he

has spoken

and the

plans he

has made.

God's

immorality

is the

reason why

when people

return to

him,

when they

confess and

pray and

trust in

him,

God changes

his attitude

towards them

and they

have hope

everlasting.

God

promised not

only that

he'll dash

some of

our hope

but he'll

give you

better one.

Trials are

coming into

your life.

If you know

God's character,

you can trust

him.

God's grace

help us to

discern God's

plan in our

suffering.

The unchanging

character of God

are your hope

everlasting.

reading from

verse 57,

you come

near when I

call you

and you

say do not

fear.

You,

Lord,

took up

my case.

You

redeemed my

life.

Lord,

you have

seen the

wrong done

to me.

Uphold

my cause.

God

had come

near in

the fresh.

He took

up our

case by

Jesus,

who is

the light

of all

mankind,

that shines

in the

darkness.

In

Matthew

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

chapter 14,

silent,

verse 22,

the disciples

of Jesus

was in a

boat in

the dark

of night,

buffered

by waves

and wind

against them.

Shortly

before dawn,

Jesus went

out to

them,

walking on

the water.

They were

terrified and

cried out,

and Jesus

immediately

said to

them,

take courage,

it is I,

do not

be afraid.

It was

still dark,

maybe in

the trite

light,

where Peter

could not

see clearly.

So he

replied,

Lord,

if it is

you,

tell me to

come to

you on

the water.

He

stepped out

onto the

water,

after hearing

Jesus

answer,

come.

He had

to rely

on the

voice of

Jesus to

walk towards

him,

because the

light of

the dawn

had not

fully

shone.

But when

he saw

the wind,

he was

afraid and

beginning to

sink,

and he

cried out,

Lord,

save me!

And

immediately,

Jesus

reached out

his hand

and caught

him.

You of

little faith,

why do you

doubt?

I can

imagine the

dawn of

light shining

through as

Jesus reached

out and

caught the

sinking

Peter,

who was

crying out,

Lord,

save me!

The light

of hope

shined

through as

Peter and

Jesus climb

into the

boat,

and the

wind dies

down.

In our

suffering and

pain,

in our

sorrow,

allow

yourself the

time to

sit in

silence and

describe what

you see and

how you

feel.

Take as

long as

you need.

Do not

suppress or

stifle any

of your

emotions.

After you

remember all

that God

has allowed

happening to

you, in

that darkness,

call to

your mind

the great

love and

compassion of

the everlasting

God.

In his

everlasting hope,

you can say

to God,

Lord, if

it's you,

tell me to

come to

you on

all the

trouble and

sufferings,

to step

into the

sea of

uncertainty and

worries.

Even if it's

dark and I

cannot see

clearly, I

will follow

your voice to

find you.

And if you

get afraid

while walking

towards Jesus

and begin

to think,

cry out,

Lord, save

me, Jesus'

saving hand

with the

hole from

nail on the

cross will

reach out in

the light of

hope to

catch you.

The

everlasting hope

will emerge

and shine

through after

each eclipse

and darkness

because great

is the

faithfulness of

our everlasting

God.

Our

benification

pastor, Nick,

has recorded a

song to help

us reflect on

God's great

faithfulness and

give us something

to call to

our mind.

So let's

listen and

reflect and

join in praise

to our King

of Kings.