the bitter can be blessed

Lamentations 3:10-18 (JDV)

Lamentations 3:10 He is a bear waiting in ambush, a lion in hiding.
Lamentations 3:11 He forced me off my way and tore me to pieces; he left me desolate.
Lamentations 3:12 He strung his bow and set me as the target for his arrow.
Lamentations 3:13 He pierced my kidneys with shafts from his quiver.
Lamentations 3:14 I am a laughingstock to all my people, mocked by their songs all day long.
Lamentations 3:15 He filled me with bitterness, satiated me with wormwood.
Lamentations 3:16 He ground my teeth with gravel and trampled me in the dust.
Lamentations 3:17 I have been deprived of well-being; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
Lamentations 3:18 Then I thought, “My future is lost, as well as my hope from Yahveh.”

the bitter can be blessed

Only people who have suffered extreme pain and misfortune would ever say such things about God. But the Holy Spirit had these words placed in his Holy Bible. Why? Because such people are not without hope, even if they think they are. God appeals to those who are convinced that he is their worst enemy. He wants to give them hope and a future. He wants to turn them from bitter to blessed.

Lord, forgive us for rejecting you because of things we have suffered. We choose to come back to you because only you can redeem us.