Lamentations chapter 3 verses 22-26 and 31-32

It is of the Lord`s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fall not.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.

"It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." This is a text which evokes mixed feelings in me, on the one hand I would like to shout amen from the bottom of my heart and be carried away by the pastoral care but on the other hand, an unease creeps over me at the thought of such strength of faith, is it at all possible for me to be patient and hope and wait for the salvation of the Lord?

I don`t think I am the only one with such conflicting feelings. Who hasn`t already experienced the feeling of reading a bible text that, at first, seemed catchy and familiar and then at closer examination has caused a certain unease? I ask myself, what kind of situation do these words stem from? Who were the people who wrote and sang such consoling and comforting words? The answer is quite surprising. The lament dates back to the time after a catastrophy. A war had been lost, a city destroyed, the capital burned and in ruins, the pivot of relgious life razed to the ground. Added to that, the commanding elite of the victors had been deported. That was in the year 587 before Christ. The Babylonians had wiped out the land of Judea, Jerusalem descended into a wilderness and the temple, built by King Solomon, was torn apart. One cannot imagine the misfortune of the defeated.

"For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies."

Surviviors of catastrophes, people who have lost everything, turn to God and expect Him to change their destiny.

Perhaps, one might think, that this is only a confirmation of the truism, "need teaches prayer", a last shimmer of hope, when everything seems lost, the despairing grasp of the supernatural straw, to look up, instead of looking down at a sight we cannot face. But this explanation is not only cynical but much too short because it overlooks the fact that the verses are not a cry for help in a hopeless situation but express a firm confidence, in that the worst is over.

"It is of the Lord`s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fall not.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

To understand this confidence, I have to know how close tradition and faith are linked with each other. Through tradition I don`t mean holding on to teaching, forms or rituals, but as a passing on of experiences to those and with those to whom God shows himself.

"For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies."

Whosoever wrote these words more than 2,500 years ago did so in an awakened recollection of the story of God with His people, a story full of events of deliverance and healing. Beginning with God`s alliance with Noah under the symbol of the rainbow, it carried on with promises to the great grandfathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In the time of Moses, God gave his solemn word, promised His help and that is why, in the lament, we find the words, "Great is thy faithfulness." God has helped, He will do it again.

I have tried to explain the background of the text for today, and also to show from which sources it draws its unshakeable faith. The question that has not been answered yet is:

Where, today, can I find something similar to this for myself? I have two thoughts that I want to tell you about.

Our present day is full of catastrophies but did we think at all, as we were watching the news bulletins, that at any time those returning to Kosovo, or the victims of the Turkish and Greek earthquakes could so pray "The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him." Is that so unthinkable?

These verses from the bible text are often used in funeral services. It seems very strange to me that they are sometimes understood to mean more for the dead than for the living. As though "they are new every morning" is only to be expected in the life hereafter. Am I not able any more to accept consolation?

I predict: the Word has more to do with me, than I would like. It will comfort my small faith, unobserved, and make me capable of caring for the souls of the suffering and the victims.

I understand: that in our everyday life, we are the survivors. We know who the people are who suddenly fall ill with a fatal diagnosis. Is it clear to me that a day lived to its full is not to be taken for granted?

I experience: that the Church has crumbling foundations because the money is not there any more for things that, once upon a time, went without saying and the disagreements about what is important are often supported by unworthy arguments.

I am sad: all that suffering through marital problems, social injustices, unemployment, crime or suicide incurs.

I question: "How can God allow such things to happen? I am shocked how little my faith in God corresponds with the reality of everyday life and how far away God is and evidently leaves the world to its own devices. And on the opposite side is the ardent sentence from the bible, "The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him." These words will remind me of Gods trust. It is not true that my faith in God is so small or that it is not suitable for this day and age. it is the way I look at it. We get the world news from the T.V., radio, newspapers or, if we posess a computer, the internet, but in none of these, do I find headlines declaring Gods faith. But the bible is full of them. Gathered expereinces of Gods loyality that span thousands of years. Is that too far in the past? There are the literary works and life descriptions of men and women of my own time, who tell of Gods faith. Is this also too far removed for me? I then look around my enviroment. A man from my own community, must go into hospital with a heart attack. He lives. Has he just had good luck or, "It is of the Lord`s mercies that we are not consumed." A woman has to go for a routine check-up where the doctor tells her that he is not quite sure about the results and therefore sends her to a specialist. Finally the relief to hear, that what is growing in her, is not malignant. Coincidence, or a sign of mercy that has no end? Gods trust is so constant that it is "every morning new." The same God who, yesterday and the day before was at his work sending Noah to the ark, leading the Isralites from Egypt and who sent us the man from Nazareth who came to the people, in fact, the same God who gave men and women in Nazi Germany the strength to resisit their inhuman dictators, the same God is there for us today.

Perhaps it is only by the grace of God that we are still here and haven`t destroyed ourselves. When everything is against us, God is for us. God Himself is there for us when it seems as though he has rejected us and lets us sink into sorrow. Never, at any time, was the Christian faith an easy thing. It had to, and must again, remain firm and hold out through all powers of fate. Whatever may be against us, can lose its fearfulness through belief. For me, this is the deciding factor: I can accept his suffering "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." That sounds like resignation and loyality to devotion, but actually, has nothing to do with it. It is much more to do with the extreme pressure to accept the suffering from Gods hands and to wait for his help. It is a deep secret how God takes our suffering, works on it and neutralizes it, and when that doesn`t happen, we suffer bodily and mentally.

I repeat, it means looking in the right direction. Whoever builds on Gods mercy and awaits His help, is secure in Gods faith. He won`t be averse to doubt, fear and sorrow but will be safe in Gods faith. On the other hand, there is a suffering that only throws its light on other people. It speculates on pity, favour and sympathy however, through this, the suffering is not dealt with. And the same goes for people who dwell in their own suffering, they become weary and mistrustful of others who seem to have it better than themselves. From this mistrust stems one conflict after another. In both cases, this suffering leads to rebelling against God and against other people, leaving a lasting and constantly disturbing effect. "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." I can hold onto my faith, even in the moments when it threatens to dwindle or seems non existent. Then, I will remind myself, that Gods mercy will hold me and see me through and sustain me.

Amen.

Peter Kusenberg
Email: peter.kusenberg@kirche-erbsen.de
Tel.: 05506 / 8331
Fax: 05506 / 7034