Sovereign & Good
8/19/26 Bible Thought (Lamentations 5)
Main Idea: We should bring our complaints to God in prayer.
A Look at the Text:
The book of Lamentations closes with a prayer: remember, restore, and renew.
The Lamenter brings the current state of Jerusalem before the Lord in prayer (Lam. 5:2-18). Jerusalem was the possession of foreigners (Lam. 5:2). Women were raped, and princes were hung on display (Lam. 5:11-12). Though once crowned with glory and splendor, Jerusalem was nothing after the siege.
Yet, there was hope: God was still reigning on high, and His throne was still eternal (Lam. 5:19).
In light of this, the Lamenter became an intercessor with a prayer for restoration and renewal. That God would restore the people to Himself, and that He would renew their prosperity as it used to be, unless He had cast them off forever (Lam. 5:21-22).
Bringing it Home:
Lamentations closes not simply with a historical account but with a prayer. It’s not simply complaint, but supplication.
Prayer is a powerful gift that God has given to us. Yet, we must consider that the only reason that prayer is even sensible is because of how God has revealed Himself to us in His Word.
Lamentations 3 assures us that, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end” (Lam. 3:22). Then, Lamentations 5 assures us that the Lord reigns forever; his throne endures for all generations (Lam. 5:19).
The Scripture presents, page after page, that God is both sovereign and good.
If He were not sovereign, it would be senseless to pray because He would be incapable of answering our requests. Yet, if He were not abundantly kind and merciful towards us, it would be senseless to pray because He would not care about our requests.
Yet because God is mindful of us (Ps. 8:3-4) and He cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7), it makes sense to cast our cares on Him. He delights to hear our prayer, even though He already knows what we need (Matt. 6:8).
Knowing that He is all-powerful and capable of anything, and knowing that He is all-loving and desires our ultimate good, why would we choose to bear our burdens alone?
Challenge:
Do I trust that God is both sovereign and good?