Chewing on Rocks

"I remember my affliction and my wandering

The bitterness and the gall.

I well remember them and

my soul is downcast within me.

Yet this I call to mind, 

and therefore I have hope."

Lamentations 3:19-21

The book is literally called LAMENTATIONS. Last I checked, that meant crying, whining, and grieving. How on earth did the editor let the word "hope" get into this book? It's too out of place. "Oh no, Cheryl!" you're thinking to yourself. "I know this Bible verse, and it's one of my favorites. Hope isn't out of place at all. Stop being a cynic." Well, read the couple verses in front of it, and you'll sympathize with my confusion. Jeremiah is talking about his body being mangled, living in darkness, and chewing on rocks. Chewing on rocks?! The only background information I had on Jeremiah at this point was that God sent him speak to the Israelites, and he didn't want to. 

I thought, "Jeremiah. Sometimes God makes me do things I don't want to do, but I don't write a book about it. Calm down."

Reading this, I already thought he was being dramatic. Then in verse 19, it got worse. It was like he got on the Mood Swing ride and came back delirious, spurting out words like "hope" and "faithfulness." It was like someone replaced the rocks he was chewing on with the best gum in the world. He seemed like he was being capricious.

But that wasn't the case at all.

Jeremiah wasn't whining on a whim (<--please take a moment to admire my alliteration). He was not grieving for himself, but for the people. Jerusalem was being destroyed, and he was in the thick of it. He watched the people starve to death and the temple of the Lord be raided. Since he was a child, God ordained him to prophesy to the Israelites. He told Jeremiah that no one would listen to him. And what could be worse than carrying a message that God himself told you no one would listen to? The truth burned while the people died. Jeremiah had a lot of reason to complain, and little reason to start this "hope" thing.

And it struck me. Jeremiah was comparing having to present truth to a dying and stubborn people to the worst grief in the world. He knew they wouldn't accept the only truth that mattered as he watched them die. I have the gospel, the Truth, yet no such urgency moves me. I have the promise that His Word will not come back void, yet whether or not someone listens didn't pain me. It only annoyed me, and then I moved on. After reading this, I prayed that I would have the same burning desire to tell these people of the truth. That I would feel like if they didn't listen, maybe I would be grinding my teeth on rocks too.

Even though Jeremiah was called the weeping prophet, he makes one of the most profound statements of joy in the Bible. After verse 19, he talks about the remnant that remains:

"Because of God's great love, we are not consumed

for his compassions never fail.

His faithfulness is new every morning; 

great is your faithfulness. 

I say to myself 'the Lord is my portion'

therefore I will wait for him."

Jeremiah said that God was his portion-- that He was enough. He was enough when dead bodies surrounded him and his city was being captured. He was enough when he had to proclaim the truth to a crowd that wouldn't listen. He was enough when he was experiencing the most pain he ever could. He was enough when he was chewing on rocks. Then I looked at my life compared to his. I have a promise that the gospel will bear fruit. Even though the government just shut down, my nation is doing fine. And the last thing I chewed for more than an hour was a piece of Arctic Cool Five gum. So why would I have any excuse to not let God be enough for me?