waiting on the dawn

Lamentations 3:1-9 (JDV)

Lamentations 3:1 I am the man who has seen misery under the rod of God’s wrath.
Lamentations 3:2 He has driven me away and forced me to walk in darkness instead of light.
Lamentations 3:3 Yes, he repeatedly turns his hand against me all day long.
Lamentations 3:4 He has worn away my flesh and skin; he has broken my bones.
Lamentations 3:5 He has laid siege against me, encircling me with bitterness and hardship.
Lamentations 3:6 He has made me dwell in darkness like those who have been dead for ages.
Lamentations 3:7 He has walled me in so I cannot get out; he has weighed me down with chains.
Lamentations 3:8 Even when I cry out and plead for help, he blocks out my prayer.
Lamentations 3:9 He has walled in my ways with blocks of stone; he has made my paths crooked.

waiting on the dawn

Some of the Lamenter’s imagery seems to contradict itself. How can he be driven away and still encircled? It is all imagery. He is saying that he has suffered with no explanation. He’s been walled in like a prisoner by the darkness when he expected light.

As believers who are called on to be God’s light to the world, we expect to know why things are happening. Sometimes we do not. Sometimes God’s actions in history — even what he is doing in our own lives — seem inexplicable. Our prayers often seem blocked, as if the signal needs a reboot. Our loyalty to God is being tested. Will we keep obeying and trusting him even in this dark place?

Lord, you are our Light and our salvation. We will trust you in the times of darkness, and wait on your dawn.