Reading the Bible in Modern Contexts
Reading the Bible in Times of Sorrow and Suffering
Pastor Tom
February 5, 2012
Lamentations 3:1–33
Imagine with me that you came to church one Sunday and you were not doing well. Maybe you didn’t feel great or you had a tough week or something troubling happened in your life. How do you answer the question “how are you”…
There once was a man who faced great difficulties. He survived a terrible siege of his capital city. But the city finally fell. And now the conquerors wreaked havoc on what remained of it. He witnessed the devastation of his home, land and people. He suffered personally with physical illness and emotional pain. And he felt like God had abandoned him. Yet, he went on a journey that reconnected him to God. This journey did not involve repeating the phrase “don’t worry, be happy.” In fact, this suffering man journeys through something called lament to reconnect with God.