Lamentations is the story of a man who has tried everything to bring the people to repentance but it hasn’t worked.  This book holds the words that he poured out knowing that despite all that he had done, Judah has fallen apart any way.  In these five chapters we hear the reality of broken heart as Jeremiah now witnesses first-hand the destruction of his nation.

Are you familiar with his lament, it is similar to the cry of a parent who despite every effort still sees their child stolen by addiction?  It is the cry of someone who has watched their loved one die of cancer because treatment wasn’t successful.  These are the tears of a broken relationship, a crushed heart, a ruined life.  Sometimes we want to bypass difficult books like Lamentations labelling them as too depressing or too negative.  However, the words of a broken heart hold so much worth and the story of hurt needs to be given the opportunity to speak and be heard.  There is beauty even in the brokenness of the words that Jeremiah weeps out before God.  

In recent years I have lost three beautiful friends, two to cancer and one to a car accident.  The pain of this loss was like a physical and emotional weight on my heart and at times still is.  I wanted to shout out and I ask why, so I did.  My hurt filled and angry outbursts did not take anything away from the majesty of God.  He was big enough to take it and still loved me.  Books like Lamentations remind us of the importance of sharing every feeling with God.  He does not expect us to bottle up or ignore how we feel in times of tragedy and loss, on the contrary he wants to walk the journey with us.