The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Lamentations 1:7-10, “In the days of her affliction and homelessness Jerusalem remembers all her precious things that were from the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the adversary and no one helped her. The adversaries saw her, they mocked at her ruin.
8 Jerusalem sinned greatly, therefore she has become an unclean thing. All who honored her despise her because they have seen her nakedness; even she herself groans and turns away.
9 Her uncleanness was in her skirts; she did not consider her future. Therefore, she has fallen astonishingly; she has no comforter. ‘See, O LORD, my affliction, for the enemy has magnified himself!’”
10 The adversary has stretched out his hand over all her precious things, For she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary, the ones whom You commanded that they should not enter into Your congregation.”

The author of these verses was the prophet Jeremiah. He was known as the “weeping prophet.” After the fall of Jerusalem, Israel was taken captive and Jerusalem became desolate. Most of us have encountered situations that caused us to weep. True prophets weep sincerely when sin invades their domains.

Robert Lee in his analysis of the Book of Lamentations, says, “There are five poems as indicated by the chapters. In each poem, except the last, there are references to the sad, ruined condition of the city, followed by a justification of God in dealing so sternly and drastically with His people…”

All of us, when faced with situations we cannot explain, lean on the LORD for help. The LORD is not responsible for explaining His ways to us; instead, He challenges us to trust Him and know that His ways are always best. It is not wrong to weep over the LORD’s decisions. We simply must not challenge His decisions.

If things are going sadly for you, just trust the LORD! If things seem they will never reverse themselves, just trust in the LORD!

When we were small and our parents led the way, things often seemed to be going against us. Yet, in the finality, we learned that their ways were best. They followed the LORD. His ways are always the best.

It was Alfred Lord Tennyson who wrote:
“Ours in not to reason why;
Ours is but to do and die.”

And so it is, if it be the will of our LORD. Just don’t give up before the finish. Trust the LORD. He is in control, and He never fails.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom