God is still on the throne. For ever, he reigns. His throne endures to all generations. This is the faith which inspired Israel in their captivity. This is the faith which inspires us in the twenty-first century. It is the faith which transforms our feelings. By faith, we bring our feelings to God. Like Israel, we may feel forgotten and forsaken (5:20). In God’s presence, we exchange our feelings - forgotten and forsaken - for his blessings - restoration and renewal: ‘Restore us to thyself, O Lord ... Renew our days as of old!’ (5:21) In the Lord’s presence, we become convinced of God’s faithfulness. He has not forgotten us, and he will not forget us. He has not forsaken us, and he will not forsake us. In our prayer for restoration and renewal, we bring our circumstances and feelings to God, refusing to be overwhelmed by them. We pray with urgency, conscious of our great need of restoration and renewal. Prisoners of circumstances and feelings, we pray - with faith - that the chains will start falling and the changes will start happening. In prayer, we look back - with thanksgiving - to past blessings, and we look forward - in hope - to future blessing. We remember what God has done in ‘days ... of old’, and our faith grows - God reigns for ever and his throne endures to all generations.
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This is the fifth post in a series on Lamentations.
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