Jeremiah prays for the restoration of the city of Jerusalem in this final stanza of his song of lament.
Lamentations 5: Restore Us to Yourself, O LORD
1 Remember, O LORD, what has befallen us; look, and see our disgrace!
2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners.
3 We have become orphans, fatherless; our mothers are like widows.
4 We must pay for the water we drink; the wood we get must be bought.
5 Our pursuers are at our necks; we are weary; we are given no rest.
6 We have given the hand to Egypt, and to Assyria, to get bread enough.
7 Our fathers sinned, and are no more; and we bear their iniquities.
8 Slaves rule over us; there is none to deliver us from their hand.
9 We get our bread at the peril of our lives, because of the sword in the wilderness.
10 Our skin is hot as an oven with the burning heat of famine.
11 Women are raped in Zion, young women in the towns of Judah.
12 Princes are hung up by their hands; no respect is shown to the elders.
13 Young men are compelled to grind at the mill, and boys stagger under loads of wood.
14 The old men have left the city gate, the young men their music.
15 The joy of our hearts has ceased; our dancing has been turned to mourning.
16 The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned!
17 For this our heart has become sick, for these things our eyes have grown dim,
18 for Mount Zion which lies desolate; jackals prowl over it.
19 But you, O LORD, reign forever; your throne endures to all generations.
20 Why do you forget us forever, why do you forsake us for so many days?
21 Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old---
22 unless you have utterly rejected us, and you remain exceedingly angry with us.
Things to think about…
1. Jeremiah in this final 5th stanza of his song of lament pleads and asks God to look and consider His people and the city of Jerusalem. Water and food must be bought. Egypt and Assyria are supplying their need by being supplied a hand, Lam 5:6. We hear the adage of something costing an arm and a leg. Here Jeremiah uses similar terminology. Where once they had their own abundant supplies, now the city must pay for its supplies with money they did not have. They were selling the last bits of property and land to meet their basic needs.
2. He says ‘our fathers sinned…and we bear their iniquities”, Lam 5:7. This is often the case with families today. The children reap what their parents have sown into their lives. Let’s continue to pray for our children that our faith continues more boldly in their generation than ours and that our children are blessed with the Lord’s abundance – especially with the fruit of the Spirit.
3. There were no walls around Jerusalem or the other towns of Judah – they were destroyed by the Babylonians and hence the people who remained in the land were vulnerable. Jeremiah tells us the woman were raped, boys staggered carrying wood, the joy is gone, Lam 5:11-15. The reason given – “we have sinned”, vs 16. As is always the case the women and the wek – children and the elderly are vulnerable when the righteousness of the Lord is suppressed. At the Lord’s table/Communion we celebrate the fact that our sin has been taken by Christ. But this is only true for those who have confessed their sin and believe in Christ. Better that Christ pay for our sin rather than ourselves. Pray the church stands strong in a liberal and weak generation.
4. Jeremiah asks “why do you forsake us for so many days”, Lam 5:20. We don’t know the timeframe here, but perhaps this was written a few years after 586BC and the people who have remained in the land have been praying for the Lord’s deliverance, yet He is not answering. We know that the Lord had determined 70 years of exile for the Jews in Babylon. No amount of praying would change the Lord’s plan. The land had to receive her Sabbaths. Jeremiah wants God to restore “unless you have utterly rejected us, and you remain exceedingly angry with us”, vs 22. This was not the case and we know God had already prepared the heart of king Cyrus of Persia to restore Jerusalem with its people and the temple. There are always new seasons after a period of loss. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and peace within the church.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Life groups Wednesdays. 6:30pm every Wednesday. 5:30pm prayer.
Prayer Points
1. Pray for Ric that his procedure went well. Anne home today – Praise the Lord
2. Pray for Phil and Anna Kennedy especially over the next few days
3. Pray for the work we have going on with site development and TMR.
4. Keep praying for PlayPatch on Fridays, pray for more families to be reached.
5. Pray for Chaplaincy and Kids Hope at Karalee State School.
6. Pray for peace over the US elections
7. The ongoing conflicts in Israel and Ukraine.
8. Church finances to continue to grow and expenses to be more than met.
9. Pray for Kids@Church, Life groups. Young Adults.
10. Mathys has a prayer time at church on Wednesday afternoons, 5:30pm at church. He would be happy for you to join him and to send prayer requests.
11. Pray about the possibility and planning of a Farmers Market at Chuwar Baptist Church once a month on Saturdays. Anastasia taking the lead on this. Pray for us as we plan
12. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you to be saved. Pray for the blessing over the new pastoral care and hosting program.
13. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. Ric sounded his usual self after Sunday’s events. Praise God he is still with us.
2. Praise God for God’s ministry on Sunday and café afterwards.
3. Did really well with the kids at face painting considering Sunday’s events.
4. Wonderful ministry from CMI and Dr Ron Neller on Sunday night.
5. Praise God for young people stepping up in a number of ministries.
6. New people helping with Playgroup.
7. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Members meeting next Sunday morning 25th Aug after morning tea.
2. Men’s event. Conquering the Mount. Men’s racing. Fri 11th Oct@Church from 5:30pm. 16+. $10 each. Dress in team colours Red – Holden, Blue – Ford, Gold – Chevrolet. See Tim Freeman for more details.
3. Prayer meeting 5:30pm and Life Group Wednesday 6:30pm at church.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for August...
Q. 23. What is meant by transgression? A. Doing what God forbids.
