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Broken, Cut Down, and Scorned (3/1/26)
Have you ever blamed God when things did not go as you thought they should? That tone of accusation against God leaps out from this week’s reading in Lamentations. Even though Israel’s disobedience in dealing with Egypt planted the seeds of this destruction, the poet sees God as the villain. Look at Lamentations 2:5: God is like an enemy. Look at Lamentations 2:6: God has destroyed the temple. Look at Lamentations 2:7: God has delivered the holy places into the hands of the enemy. At a minimum, we can say, “This ain’t going to look too good on God’s resume!”
Interestingly, even though the writer plops all the blame onto God, these verses still call upon the people to make pleas to God for help. Lamentations 2:18 begs for Israel to pray to the Lord. Lamentations 2:19 calls for prayer night and day. Lamentations 2:20 asks God to ponder what has happened to God’s people. The text of Psalm 130 is the kind of prayer that one might offer in such a time of distress.
Guess what. The biblical evidence in these verses is that we can be open and honest and authentic in our prayers to God. Did we somehow think that God did not know what we were actually thinking and feeling? God’s judgment would not be against what we are feeling, but against our failure to acknowledge it before God.
This is not to say that any attitude or prejudice or anger is acceptable to God. It is just to say that there is more authenticity in my prayer when I do not try to hide it when, as the title of this session says, I am “broken, cut down, and scorned.”
When I see the honesty in these Lamentations verses that blame God, I get increased confidence in the report of the more powerful and loving actions by God. A relationship with God has little meaning unless we bring all of who we are.
Some congregations have a tradition of not singing “Alleluia” during these days of Lent. Lamentations helps us see that some prayers indeed are real simply because they do not include a claim of “Alleluia.”
What Someone Else Has Said: Kel Groseciose (Why Did God Make Bugs and Other Icky Things?, Dimensions for Living) wrote: “It is quite possible for people of all ages to pray with childlike trust and openness. Children aren’t the only ones capable of using simple, direct language. “
Prayer: As you prepare this lesson, let your prayer begin: “Here’s what I’m thinking, Lord…”
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By NC Conference of The UMCHave you ever blamed God when things did not go as you thought they should? That tone of accusation against God leaps out from this week’s reading in Lamentations. Even though Israel’s disobedience in dealing with Egypt planted the seeds of this destruction, the poet sees God as the villain. Look at Lamentations 2:5: God is like an enemy. Look at Lamentations 2:6: God has destroyed the temple. Look at Lamentations 2:7: God has delivered the holy places into the hands of the enemy. At a minimum, we can say, “This ain’t going to look too good on God’s resume!”
Interestingly, even though the writer plops all the blame onto God, these verses still call upon the people to make pleas to God for help. Lamentations 2:18 begs for Israel to pray to the Lord. Lamentations 2:19 calls for prayer night and day. Lamentations 2:20 asks God to ponder what has happened to God’s people. The text of Psalm 130 is the kind of prayer that one might offer in such a time of distress.
Guess what. The biblical evidence in these verses is that we can be open and honest and authentic in our prayers to God. Did we somehow think that God did not know what we were actually thinking and feeling? God’s judgment would not be against what we are feeling, but against our failure to acknowledge it before God.
This is not to say that any attitude or prejudice or anger is acceptable to God. It is just to say that there is more authenticity in my prayer when I do not try to hide it when, as the title of this session says, I am “broken, cut down, and scorned.”
When I see the honesty in these Lamentations verses that blame God, I get increased confidence in the report of the more powerful and loving actions by God. A relationship with God has little meaning unless we bring all of who we are.
Some congregations have a tradition of not singing “Alleluia” during these days of Lent. Lamentations helps us see that some prayers indeed are real simply because they do not include a claim of “Alleluia.”
What Someone Else Has Said: Kel Groseciose (Why Did God Make Bugs and Other Icky Things?, Dimensions for Living) wrote: “It is quite possible for people of all ages to pray with childlike trust and openness. Children aren’t the only ones capable of using simple, direct language. “
Prayer: As you prepare this lesson, let your prayer begin: “Here’s what I’m thinking, Lord…”