LAMENTATIONS 3:1-33

Well, good morning. My name is Michael. If we have not had the opportunity to meet, it is good to be with you this morning.

If you have your Bible, turn to the book of Lamentations. That may be a new phrase for some of you. I do not know how often you have been asked to turn to Lamentations, but that is where we are going today.

Pastor Scott is on vacation, and we look forward to hearing the rest of Luke 15 when he returns. Originally, I was not scheduled to preach this morning. Pastor Cam was supposed to be here after recovering from surgery, but he had to undergo another procedure. Please be praying for him. He wants to be here, and if he could be here, he would be.

When I visited him in the hospital back in February, he said, “When I get to preach in April, I want to preach on suffering. I want to preach on weakness.” So when I learned I would be preaching this week, I thought we should do that. We should talk about suffering, because suffering is a fact of life. We live in a broken world, and we all face hardships.

I thought Lamentations would help us process some of the ordinary sufferings we all encounter. But then I began to study the book more deeply, and I discovered two surprising truths.

First, the suffering in this book is far beyond ordinary pain. It is brutal. This is a very dark book. The suffering here is crippling. It is the kind of pain that drives a person to the brink of despair and then pushes them over the edge. It is the kind of suffering that robs us of every resource we have, and when we have nothing left to give, it demands more.

Second, despite how heavy the book is, I had one of the most delightful weeks of Bible study I have ever had. It was sad. It was weighty. But in the midst of that darkness, I encountered the mercy and compassion of God in a fresh way.

So yes, this sermon may be heavy. But hidden in this dark corner of Scripture is unspeakable hope.

I have titled this message, How to Endure When Your Endurance Has Died. That would be a useful skill if you ever find yourself there. Some of you may already be there. And in Lamentations chapter 3, Jeremiah leads us into the depths of sorrow and shows us that God’s mercy triumphs even there. Praise God.

Lamentations was written after the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC. Babylon had besieged the city for months. They starved the people. The weak died first. Corpses filled the streets. Then Babylon breached the city, killed many of its people, carried thousands into exile, and dismantled the city brick by brick. Even Solomon’s temple was destroyed. So yes, this book is raw. Jeremiah does not soften his emotions.

Though emotionally intense, Lamentations is highly organized. It contains five poems, many written as acrostics following the Hebrew alphabet. Even grief has boundaries. Pain needs a voice, but grief does not have to sprawl endlessly. There comes a time to breathe, rise, and continue.

Lamentations 3:1

Jeremiah says, “I am the man who has seen affliction.” He describes darkness, imprisonment, brokenness, chains, unanswered prayer, blocked paths, wild animals attacking, arrows piercing him, bitterness poisoning him. His food is gravel. His drink is wormwood.

This is not weakness. The word for “man” here means warrior. Jeremiah is saying, “I am the warrior who has been defeated.” He has lost his way entirely.

What makes it harder is that he knows God is involved. Again and again he says, “He has…” God is not absent in Jeremiah’s suffering. God is present.

That is difficult, but deeply important. Because if God is sovereign, then He is sovereign over everything. There is no such thing as partial sovereignty. Even in the darkest day of Israel’s history, God says, “See My hand here.”

That truth can be terrifying, but it can also comfort us. Because if God’s hand is in our suffering, then suffering is not meaningless.

Lamentations 3:17–18

Jeremiah reaches bottom: “My soul is bereft of peace. I have forgotten what happiness is. My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.”

The darkness wins. He forgot what happiness feels like. Some of you know that place. Paul knew it too. In 2 Corinthians he said he despaired even of life itself.

Rock bottom hurts. It shatters dreams. It destroys plans. The life you wanted is gone.

But then everything changes.

Lamentations 3:21–24

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.”

A light comes on. At the bottom of suffering, when nothing is left, Jeremiah discovers something deeper than his own strength. He discovers God.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.”

Jeremiah does not comfort himself with clichés. He does not say, “God never gives you more than you can handle.” That is not in the Bible.

Instead, he goes back to the covenant character of God: merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.

Though the nation is in ruins, though his soul is eclipsed in darkness, the sun still rose that morning. Every sunrise is testimony that God has not run out of mercy.

Then Jeremiah says, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will hope in Him.”

This is how we endure when endurance has died. We feast on God. When suffering empties us, it has done useful work if it drives us to the goodness of God.

We often demand things God never promised. We say, “Give me my old life back.” But God offers something better. He spreads a table in the wilderness and feeds starving souls with His goodness. Fresh mercy every morning. Enough grace for today.

Lamentations 3:25–27

Jeremiah now says, “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke.”

Just verses earlier he said all good had vanished. Now he says, “Good, good, good.”

Even suffering can be good. Not because pain itself is pleasant, but because suffering strengthens faith, burns away sin, and drives us to Christ.

Sometimes we want escape from suffering, but God wants transformation through suffering.

One day in heaven, many of us may say, “How good it was to have suffered, because it drove me to Jesus.”

Lamentations 3:31–33

“Though He cause grief, He will have compassion… For He does not afflict from His heart.”

This is one of the most profound truths in Scripture. God judges because His holiness requires it. But judgment is not what most naturally flows from His heart. Mercy does. Compassion does. Steadfast love does.

He does not delight in destruction. He delights in restoring sinners.

That is why when Jesus entered Jerusalem to judge, He wept. But when sinners come home, heaven rejoices.

If God were mostly judgment with only a little mercy, there would be no cross. But because God’s heart overflows with compassion, He came down, took on flesh, suffered, and died.

Jesus endured suffering infinitely deeper than Jeremiah ever knew. Good Friday was darker than Jerusalem’s destruction. The true temple, Christ’s body, was broken. He was forsaken so sinners could be forgiven.

Why? Because God wants relationship with you. Because mercy triumphs. Because His steadfast love never ceases.

If you are stuck in sin this morning, turn to Jesus. Stop running from Him. You will find a merciful Savior. His body was broken for you. His mercy is enough.

May your soul feast on the Lord today.