After reading this week’s Bible text, I am ever so glad that I will never have to face the realities of God’s wrath! It is a very depressing read indeed as we witness firsthand the suffering of people because turned His back on them. They had decided that they would rather live their lives with little or no regard to Him. So He gave them what they wanted … and more! They could live without Him but there was a cost. He would withdraw all that He did for them. He was their provider and protector. It wasn’t long before they lost everything and became a despairing nation of people who were taken captive and into exile.
Lamentations 4 is very much about contrasts … contrasting life having God as their King with His amazing protection and provision, and life without Him and left to their own devices. The contrast is stark! With God as King, they lived lives of excess and were protected from their vast array of enemies by His hand. However, without God as King, they had to fend for themselves. He withdrew and without Him their lifeline was broken and non-existent. In actual fact, it was worse than anyone could have imagined because God’s wrath also came upon them because of their willful disobedience. After reading Lamentations who would want to be in the hands of an angry God?
It is true that I will stand before God to give an account of myself and be judged. This is frightening to be truthful. But, and it is a big but, I will have Jesus standing in my place! He has already taken the just punishment intended for me. I have been pardoned all because of Jesus. My lifeline with my Creator God is intact! What awaits those who have not grabbed hold of this lifeline in Jesus can be seen in some portion in our text today. It is horrible! Praise be to God that we have a merciful, loving, forgiving and compassionate God who gave His own Son as a sacrifice so that we could be called His children! I stand in awe of this and I am ever so thankful! Be encouraged dear friends of who you are in Christ!