From God's Point of View

Agnes and I sat down (I was lying down on the bed actually) yesterday to prepare for the Bible study on Lamentations. I think it would have been a much more difficult book to study had I not read Walter Brueggemann’s ‘Spirituality of the Psalms’ last month. Maybe God was already preparing me to lead this session! I can only thank Him, of course. In a book where the theme is of anguish, sorrow and doubt, many of us Christians may find it somewhat unnerving. Aren’t Christians supposed to be happy and joyful all the time? What can we ever learn from laments such as this, where the closing stanzas are filled with bleakness, hopelessness and uncertainty?

In Lamentations, we see a man who is struggling to understand the things that are happening around him. We see a man who is struggling to understand God and his own faith. He begins by lamenting about the state of Jerusalem and its people. In the second chapter, he begins by accusing God, even calling God the ‘enemy’. It is as if he is saying to God, ‘Look what You have done!’ Deep in his heart though, the author knows why all these things have happened. He knows that God is punishing them for their sins. Yet, in his agonizing words, we see that the author is struggling to accept it. He questions God. He tries to affirm who God is. He goes back to the foundations of his beliefs about God. He tries to remember this wonderful God that he used to know, by rationalizing that maybe they are not totally destroyed because of God’s great love for them. He attempts to give hope to himself as well as the whole nation. The author calls the people to accept what God has done, and to repent of their sins. He even expresses anger at his enemies by asking the Lord to destroy them and to pay them back what they deserved. In chapter 4 however, the author reverts to lamenting for the people of Judah. Many of his thoughts are repetitive, and this only shows how deeply pained he is, as if he cannot get the thoughts out of his mind. In chapter 5, the author pleads all out to God to see them in their suffering; to take notice and to save them. He questions God again, and pleads for God to restore them. He ends though, with uncertainty:

…unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.

We were a little surprised at the ending. Laments in the Psalter often had better endings. The psalmists would usually end by giving thanks to God or affirming that God’s justice will prevail in the end. In Lamentations though, the ending is more negative. But there are many lessons here for us nevertheless. Suffering is real; Sadness and anguish are real feelings. There is nothing wrong in feeling sorrowful or angry. There will be times when we will struggle in our faith; when we cannot understand what God is trying to do. Sometimes things are so bad that we may know what God is trying to do but we may just find it so hard to accept. There are times when we are angry with God and we accuse Him. There are times when we are angry with others and we wish that God would just destroy them. What we can see in Lamentations is that the author is very honest about his feelings and struggles. We should learn to be real and honest with our feelings and our struggles as well. There is no need to pretend. Just as the author directs much of his lament to God, we should also learn to direct our thoughts and feelings to God. Cry out to Him; Talk to Him; even if we doubt that he might still listen to us. Don’t lose hope; strive on in the midst of these struggles; there will always be a glimmer of hope, no matter how faint it may be. Examine our own ways, just as the author did, because sometimes, we ourselves are the ones who are to blame.

Agnes and I noticed how the author seems to be accusing God sometimes, and we were discussing about whether it is alright to accuse God, when she brought up a very thoughtful point. I guess it is the way women are able to feel more and can often identify more with others. We men are often more ‘heady’ and tend to think more intellectually rather than use our feelings. But she asked, ‘How do you think God will feel, as a Father, when his own children accuse Him? Imagine a father trying to discipline his own children for their own good, because he cares for them. Instead of appreciating what the father does, the children misunderstand him and accuse him instead. How would he feel?’ Of course, our finite minds will never understand what an infinite mind will feel. But I think if we try to look at it from God’s point of view, we begin to see what He goes through in all this. I can imagine the heartache that He must have felt when the author accuses Him or becomes angry at Him. I believe that God knew how his people would react. I believe that God already knew that He would be accused and misunderstood. But what did it matter to Him? All He cared about was that His children would return to Him. All that He wanted was for them to turn from their evil ways. O how great the love of the Father is, that He would be willing to bear the heartache and accusations that would be leveled against Him, all because He wanted to bring back His children who have gone astray. How selfless the love of God is. I can’t believe that tears are welling up in my eyes as I type these words.

O God, there have been so many times when I have been angry at You. I have accused You. I have misunderstood You. Your mercy is great and You have been patient with me. Now I know how painful and difficult it must have been for You during all those times, not only when I have accused You, but when millions all over the world continue to misunderstand. I’m sorry Lord. I’m not worthy of Your great love. I’m sorry for all the heartache I’ve caused You. I don’t want to add to Your sorrows. Help me to learn to see things through Your eyes, and help me to learn to accept whatever comes my way. Let me be humble so that I will examine my own ways. Give me hope.