Meditation Mondays: Perseverance in Prayer

Lamentations 3:46-51 (ESV)
46 “All our enemies
    open their mouths against us;
47 panic and pitfall have come upon us,
    devastation and destruction;
48 my eyes flow with rivers of tears
    because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

49 “My eyes will flow without ceasing,
    without respite,
50 until the Lord from heaven
    looks down and sees;
51 my eyes cause me grief
    at the fate of all the daughters of my city.

Meditation:

We can't control the actions of others. So often, we waste time being stressed about the reactions of others. We waste time being stressed about how others interact with us and view us. A core idol for many believers including myself is 'fear of man'. Verses 49 and 50 bring me much peace and comfort. Jeremiah has this discipline of prayer- this discipline of bringing his requests and needs before the Lord. He declares that he will make his requests known with tears until the Lord 'looks down and sees'. Now, certainly the Lord ordains, knows, and sees all things, but what I think this verse is communicating is this posture of dependence on the Lord. Jeremiah knows the Lord is his only comfort, his only hope, his only righter of wrongs- so he goes to the only One capable of making crooked things straight. Jeremiah faithfully petitions the One who can turn suffering(s) into dancing- sorrow(s) into happiness.

This brings immense comfort and conviction to me. How often do I bring my requests before others before bringing them before the Lord? How often do I fret about others instead of resting in God's might and power? Do I use my sufferings as an opportunity to declare my utter dependency on the Lord? Do I use my sufferings to declare my submissiveness to God's plan and timetable? Jeremiah was in a posture of submission and dependence upon the Lord in the midst of immense suffering. Jeremiah was committed to fidelity to the Lord in the midst of immense suffering. Jeremiah was committed to bringing his petitions to the Lord until the Lord answered his prayers. Jeremiah is a great example of perseverance and steadfastness. Am I committed to sitting and waiting for the salvation of the Lord? So often I want to expedite the process God has me in, but I am learning to be sanctified on His timetable. I am learning to be OK with waiting. Waiting on the Lord is good for me and believer, it is good for you.