Meditation Mondays: Look to Christ Dear Sufferer

I have been hunted like a bird
    by those who were my enemies without cause;
53 they flung me alive into the pit
    and cast stones on me;
54 water closed over my head;
   I said, ‘I am lost.’ (Lamentations 3:52-54 ESV)

Meditation:

By now, we know that Jeremiah wrote Lamentations and is weeping/mourning at the destruction/judgment of Jerusalem. And while this is historically accurate, I want our minds to be directed toward Christ in these particular verses. Now what I am about to assert can be said of much of Scripture, but I thought it necessary to bring up in our particular passage today. Here is my assertion:

Only Christ can make this declaration (vv 52-24) truly. Only Christ can truly say, 'enemies hunt me without cause' only Christ can say that He was truly 'cut off' or 'lost' because of the persecution He experienced.

The author of Hebrews reminds us;

"For we do not have a high priest [Christ] who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15 italics mine)

"Therefore let us go to him [Christ] outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured." (Hebrews 13:13)

Only Christ has suffered and is without sin. Only Christ is truly innocent because He is truly God. So what are the implications of this for us as believers? How can we be encouraged today?

• First, we are reminded that we suffer as people with sin. We are not innocent in every matter. God in Christ has forgiven us much and so we suffer as people who desperately need the intervening work of the Perfect Sufferer- Christ Jesus.

• Second, we are reminded that to suffer well is to be like Christ. Christians shouldn't be surprised at suffering. Christ suffered, so of course, we will suffer. And when we suffer in a God-oriented way, we honor Christ and share in His suffering (Philippians 3:10).

• Third, we will never have to declare 'I am lost' because of the active and passive obedience of Jesus. The Apostle Paul reminds us: " 21 For our sake he [God] made him [Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." God in Christ has redeemed us so that we will never be lost, no matter how dire our circumstances are this side of eternity. And because of Christ's sufficient work, His Holy Spirit lives in us- we are never alone.