Psalm 119 - 12.17.25

Scripture

Psalm 119:124-125

Deal with your servant according to your love
    and teach me your decrees.

 I am your servant; give me discernment
    that I may understand your statutes.

Observation

These verses caught my attention, because I want to be a servant of the Lord and I want discernment to understand his statutes and direction.

Servant: someone totally devoted, owned, or commissioned to serve a master, characterized by humility, obedience, and sacrifice, often involving doing whatever the master commands to further their will, even laying down personal rights and desires.

Application

James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you".

God promises to give us wisdom and discernment. But we have to truly seek.

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Proverbs 8:17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

How can we diligently seek his wisdom, discernment, and direction? He reveals himself to us in prayer and in the word. Here are some good habits to follow in our Bible reading:

1.     Before reading, ask him to reveal himself to you in the scripture.

2.     Read with intention – to learn more about him, instead of checking off a daily chore.

3.     When he reveals something to you – write it down!

4.     Memorize it!

Prayer

You promise to reveal yourself to me generously and that is what I truly want. I don’t want to waste time skimming your word, I want to dive in and see what you want to reveal to me. Help me to walk out what you have spoken to me.

- Debbie Dunn

Lamentations 3 - 12.16.25

Scripture - I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the Lord’s wrath. He has driven me away and made me walk in the darkness rather than light… I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. So I say, “My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.” … 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.” 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.

Lamentations 3:1-2,17-18, 22-26

Observation - This lament, written by the weeping prophet Jeremiah, is often quoted usually just the “Your compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” I believe this does that scripture a disservice because it doesn’t always acknowledge the great amount of pain it took Jeremiah to come to that conclusion. Jeremiah is prophesying during a dark time. All of Israel has turned their backs not only on Him but on the Lord by choosing to serve idols, their own greed, and then raising up false prophets to speak good and happy things thinking they could avoid the judgement of the Lord. They went into exile because they were unfaithful. They were stripped of their homeland because they had perverted the very soil the Lord had given them to harvest. They were led into captivity by the Lord to be punished. But the Lord did promise that if they went willingly, He would restore them. This lament is obviously written from the perspective of the prophet who had endured much for the sake of his calling. Jeremiah had been beaten, imprisoned, placed in stocks, mocked and threatened by the people. Jeremiah was told by God he could take no wife, have no children, he couldn’t even mourn or celebrate with the people of Israel. I imagine his duty left him unimaginably lonely but he always knew he had the Lord.

“Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm: “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. Would you discredit My justice? Would you condemn Me to justify yourself? Do you have an arm like God’s, and can your voice thunder like His? Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself with honor and majesty. Unleash the fury of your wrath..” Job 40:6-11a

“Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end” Psalm 119: 111-112

Application - In my own life I have suffered quite a bit. Walking into my calling after becoming a Christian was no easy feat for me. I was often isolated from others, and dealt with a great deal of loneliness is some seasons. Because of that I did, at one point, slip away from the church. I was led into a darkness by my own mistakes that lasted well over a year. But I never stopped calling on the Lord. It was because of Him that I was not completely consumed by the darkness. It is because of the desolate experience I had I can truly say “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.” God is faithful and He does hear us when we cry. Often times the question isn’t whether or not He can hear you (I assure you He can) but the questions should be “Is this a darkness He has led me into? Is this a storm the Lord has whipped up? Is this feeling of being held captive going to bring alive the true meaning of the promise Jeremiah 29 “I know the plans I have for you a plan to prosper you..” We cannot lose hope in the Lord. If there’s one thing I have learned reading the words of Jeremiah it’s that a lot of the promises were made to give hope in a time where the Lord had to strip away everything to bring His people to repentance. The bible is full of hope for us all when we can humble ourselves, admit most of our sufferings can refine us, and some of the dark places we are trying to avoid can be walked into, hand in hand, with the Lord remembering He is always with us, but a Father who loves His children must discipline them. When the Lord comes to prune us it hurts. He removed things from us that we once relied on more than Him to show us Himself in greater measure. A plant does not fight the gardener to keep dead fruit; it yields to the shearers because it knows pruning produces more healthy fruit. Yield to His shears knowing this will produce good fruit and implanted in your heart can be “…His compassions never fail. They are new every morning.”

Prayer:

Blessed are you Lord in all that You do. For who can counsel the Lord? You are great and mighty are Your ways. Your ways are not our ways, and Your thoughts not our thoughts. We will never be able to fully comprehend why you do the things you do, but we should have hope in Your promise to see us to the other side. Lord Your word in Hebrews 11:1 says “Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.” Let us always remember that just because we can’t see the reason behind the “why,” that we should trust the one behind the shears who is faithful to complete the good work He started in us. May we yield to you even when we have to go through hard times to produce a faith fortified, tried and tested. Amen.

- Shanese Hamilton

Lamentations 2 - 12.15.25

Scripture: Lamentations 2:13

What can I say for you?

With what can I compare you,

Daughter Jerusalem?

To what can I liken you,

that I may comfort you,

Virgin Daughter Zion?

Your wound is as deep as the sea.

Who can heal you?

Observation

Although the author of the book of Lamentations did not identify themselves, many scholars and theologians believed that it was the Prophet Jeremiah. The author was sharing their grief and sorrow to God. The southern kingdom of Judah was utterly destroyed by the Babylonians, and its capital Jerusalem was sieged. The kings and their royal families were stripped of their power and prestige. The Levitical priests were robbed of their authority and their duties for the nation’s sacrifices and atonement. The soldiers of Judah were defeated, and the rest of the population were under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. If they were not killed by the sword or by famine, they were taken into captivity and driven away from their home except for a small remnant of the poor to remain in a completely destroyed Jerusalem. Worst of all, the presence of God departed and the temple was destroyed.  In chapter 2 of Lamentations, the author describes the horrific events that took place in Jerusalem and what the people had to endure. The destruction of Jerusalem was due to the sins of the nation. The judgment of Jerusalem could be compared to the judgment of the previous nations that inhabited the land of Canaan. God’s promise to Abraham was also judgment for the Canaanites due to their sin. The Israelites were given time after time to repent of their sins, and now they were facing the wrath of God. During this time, it may have appeared that all hope was lost and forsaken, but God is always faithful to His promises. God was not going to allow His people to be destroyed completely. Hebrews 12:6 says that “the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Chapter 2 is a grim passage of scripture, but God can work and redeem His people through the toughest times.

Application

Everyone will face difficult times throughout life, whether it be from disobedience to God’s commandments, the evil of others, or just life in general. Regardless of the situation, we as believers know that we can turn to God and cry out to Him during our trials. We must remember that we serve a faithful God who loves us and will keep His promises. The Lord promised us eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ which brings us hope, peace, love and joy. Living a disobedient life of sin, that is without Christ, will lead one to captivity and destruction. 

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your Word. In 2 Timothy 3:16 the Apostle Paul tells Timothy that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. I thank You for giving us countless examples of how to live a life that is pleasing to You. Holy Spirit, help me to remember Your words, and listen to those You have placed in my life to warn me about the punishments that come to those who disobey You. Lastly, guide me to also be a voice to warn others about living a life that is apart from You. Life without You will lead to sorrows and destruction, but I thank You for being a merciful God, full of love and compassion.

- Darrence Hamilton