SHADOW AND SUNSHINE
‘The wormwood and the gall … the Lord’s mercies.’
Lamentations 3:19; Lamentations 3:22
I. Speaking for himself, the prophet personifies his people ( Lamentations 3:1-21).—His description of the miseries through which they were passing is very pitiful—the wrinkled skin, the broken bones, the darkness as of the grave, the lofty walls that encompassed them, the penetration of the sharp arrows into their flesh, the derision of the people, the grit of the coarse flour that broke his teeth, the wormwood and the gall of his cup.
II. Full suddenly he draws out another stop in the organ, a stream of hope and comfort pours upon the ear ( Lamentations 3:22-33).—It is as though he had caught the cadence of some angel minstrelsy. His heart forgets its grief, as he dwells on the Lord’s mercies and unfailing compassions. Every morning of those dark days witnessed some new provision of God’s care. Forlorn as might be his lot, he could still reckon upon the faithfulness of his never-failing Friend. And the conclusion of his soul amid all his trouble was that God was good. Hold to that, soul, in spite of all appearances, and dare to believe that the Lord is good. Say it to thyself a thousand times. He will not cast off. Though He may have caused grief, yet is His compassion in proportion to the multitude of His mercies.
III. As our confessions and petitions ascend to God, as we search and try our ways and turn again to Him, we shall become conscious that He is drawing near ( Lamentations 3:57).—‘ Thou saidst, Fear not.’ How often God will utter those words as the years pass! When dreaded evils assail and threaten to overwhelm, as the waves the barque on the Lake of Galilee, that voice, mightier than the noise of many waters, will reassure, and, finally, as we pass into the gate of eternity, our first utterance will be, ‘O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; Thou hast redeemed my life.’
Illustration
‘There is nothing like the Lamentations of Jeremiah in the whole world. There has been plenty of sorrow in every age, and in every land; but such another preacher and author as Jeremiah, with such a heart for sorrow, has never again been born. Dante comes next to Jeremiah, and we know that Jeremiah was that great exile’s favourite prophet. Both prophet and poet were full to all the height and depth of their great hearts of the most thrilling sensibility; while, at the same time, they were both “high towers,” and “brazen walls,” and “iron pillars” against all unrighteousness of men. And they were alike in this also, that, just because of their combined strength, and sternness, and sensibility, no man in their day sympathised with them. They made all men’s causes of suffering and sorrow their own, till all men hated them and put a price on their heads.’

SHADOW AND SUNSHINE
‘The wormwood and the gall … the Lord’s mercies.’
Lamentations 3:19; Lamentations 3:22
I. Speaking for himself, the prophet personifies his people ( Lamentations 3:1-21).—His description of the miseries through which they were passing is very pitiful—the wrinkled skin, the broken bones, the darkness as of the grave, the lofty walls that encompassed them, the penetration of the sharp arrows into their flesh, the derision of the people, the grit of the coarse flour that broke his teeth, the wormwood and the gall of his cup.
II. Full suddenly he draws out another stop in the organ, a stream of hope and comfort pours upon the ear ( Lamentations 3:22-33).—It is as though he had caught the cadence of some angel minstrelsy. His heart forgets its grief, as he dwells on the Lord’s mercies and unfailing compassions. Every morning of those dark days witnessed some new provision of God’s care. Forlorn as might be his lot, he could still reckon upon the faithfulness of his never-failing Friend. And the conclusion of his soul amid all his trouble was that God was good. Hold to that, soul, in spite of all appearances, and dare to believe that the Lord is good. Say it to thyself a thousand times. He will not cast off. Though He may have caused grief, yet is His compassion in proportion to the multitude of His mercies.
III. As our confessions and petitions ascend to God, as we search and try our ways and turn again to Him, we shall become conscious that He is drawing near ( Lamentations 3:57).—‘ Thou saidst, Fear not.’ How often God will utter those words as the years pass! When dreaded evils assail and threaten to overwhelm, as the waves the barque on the Lake of Galilee, that voice, mightier than the noise of many waters, will reassure, and, finally, as we pass into the gate of eternity, our first utterance will be, ‘O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; Thou hast redeemed my life.’
Illustration
‘There is nothing like the Lamentations of Jeremiah in the whole world. There has been plenty of sorrow in every age, and in every land; but such another preacher and author as Jeremiah, with such a heart for sorrow, has never again been born. Dante comes next to Jeremiah, and we know that Jeremiah was that great exile’s favourite prophet. Both prophet and poet were full to all the height and depth of their great hearts of the most thrilling sensibility; while, at the same time, they were both “high towers,” and “brazen walls,” and “iron pillars” against all unrighteousness of men. And they were alike in this also, that, just because of their combined strength, and sternness, and sensibility, no man in their day sympathised with them. They made all men’s causes of suffering and sorrow their own, till all men hated them and put a price on their heads.’

THE BEST PORTION
‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul.’
Lamentations 3:24
I. The Lord is the portion of His people.
(1) The object of their supreme love.
(2) The object of their entire confidence.
(3) The object of their chiefest joy.
II. The qualities of the portion.
(1) It is suitable.
(2) It is adequate.
(3) It is enduring. ‘Flesh and heart shall faint and fail, but He is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.’

HOPE AND PATIENCE
‘It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’
Lamentations 3:26
The organ at Freiburg, one of the most beautiful in the world, after the storm has vented itself, breaks into an exquisitely sweet refrain, ‘The Song of the Cows’; and in this portion of his Lamentations, the prophet breaks forth into one of the most lovely passages in the Bible, each clause of which is well worthy of prayerful heed. To all who are passing through times of anxiety, to those who are nervously awaiting cablegram or letter, to any to whom this day is one of fateful importance because it will bring the verdict of the physician or the results of the examination, we would reiterate the prophet’s advice.
I. It is good, because anxiety is useless.—It only wastes the nervous tissue, hinders quiet sleep, and unfits for the hour when decision and action will be required. How often, after days and hours of fearful suspense, during which we have conjured up the worst possible explanations or anticipations, we have discovered that none of them were true, and that all our forebodings were groundless. Anxiety kills; it is good to hope and wait and trust.
II. It is good, because we have a good God, Who is working for us.—‘The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him.’ He is behind the scenes, bringing up reinforcements, making all things work together for good, and working for those who wait for Him. He is doing better for you than the tenderest or wisest friend.
III. It is good, because the calm, strong heart inspires confidence.—If you are perturbed and flurried, you will spread a nervous dread in those who surround you and see your careworn looks. Cast your burden on the Lord, leave it with Him, anoint your head with the oil of joy, and come out to be a Greatheart to Mr. Fearing and Miss Much-afraid.
Illustration
‘The little herb Patience does not grow in everybody’s garden. But we are admonished to seek it, because (1) it is a very precious virtue, and a part of the service we owe to God, according to the first table. (2) It contains in itself another virtue, namely, hope in God. (3) It is easier for us to practise it, if we accustom ourselves to it from our youth. (4) It can overcome many wrongs, abuses, and outrages. (5) Misfortune will not continue for ever ( Isaiah 54:7). (6) At all events, the end will be favourable. (7) God does not willingly afflict us (from His heart), but always designs something different and better for us, and dearly wishes that He might not punish us at all ( Hosea 11:9).’