Lamentations 3:40-42 Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to the Lord.
Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven and say,
“We have sinned and rebelled,
and You have not forgiven.”

This chapter is justly famous for verses 22 and 23, but just remembering that God is merciful and kind doesn’t mean much if we stop there. When rough times come, we need to respond as Jeremiah says here, honestly examining how we have been living, to see how we might have invited the trial. Of course, not every trial is the consequence of our own sin; plenty of problems come from the sinfulness of others. After all, Jesus said clearly, “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33) However, we have got to be humble enough to accept that our own actions might have at least opened the door for the trouble to come in. That’s what repentance is all about. Generally when we complain, “Why me?” we are thinking, “But I’m a good person.” That is rarely the case, when we get down to details! Even Paul struggled with doing the right things and not doing wrong things. (Romans 7) I have known of military drill instructors who required recruits, when assigned calisthenics or the like as punishment for some infraction, to shout out, “Thank you, Sergeant!” (Not, thank you, Sir, because that was reserved for officers, at least when I was in the Army.) When God is the one assigning punishment, that is entirely appropriate! God never punishes just to make us suffer, but rather to lead us to repentance and keep us from eternal suffering in hell. Going through trials, whether circumstantial or self-inflicted, strengthens us and sharpens our focus on God, if we respond to them correctly. That correct response is indicated by Jeremiah here.

God has had to correct me more than a few times, and I am amazed that He has been so gentle and restrained in doing so. I have gone through some rough times as the result of others’ actions, but God has used those too in training me to trust Him and forgive. I really have nothing to complain about! That’s a good thing to realize, because I have seen that complaining just saps the energy of the one doing it, and rarely if ever accomplishes anything good. Any time things are less than optimal, asking why is certainly appropriate, but it must be done in full humility. I’ll never forget the time I was thinking – not really praying – “There are so many things I wish were different.” As clearly as if He had been a person standing next to me, I heard the Lord say, “How do you think I feel?” When bad things happen and I know they aren’t my fault, I need to pray and act in full assurance that God wants things to be different too, and offer myself to Him as His agent of change.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for this abundant life You have provided for us in Christ. (John 10:10) May I recognize Your grace at all times and give You the thanks and praise You deserve, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!