When You Are Working Through Personal Trauma
Lamentations 3:15-30 (CEV)-God has turned my life sour. 16 He made me eat gravel and rubbed me in the dirt. 17 I cannot find peace or remember happiness. 18 I tell myself, “I am finished! I can’t count on the LORD to do anything for me.” 19 Just thinking of my troubles and my lonely wandering makes me miserable. 20 That’s all I ever think about, and I am depressed. 21 Then I remember something that fills me with hope. 22 The LORD’s kindness never fails! If he had not been merciful, we would have been destroyed. 23 The LORD can always be trusted to show mercy each morning. 24 Deep in my heart I say, “The LORD is all I need; I can depend on him!” 25 The LORD is kind to everyone who trusts and obeys him. 26 It is good to wait patiently for the LORD to save us. 27 When we are young, it is good to struggle hard. 28 and to sit silently alone, if this is what the LORD intends. 29 Being rubbed in the dirt can teach us a lesson; 30 we can also learn from insults and hard knocks.
Lamentations is a funeral dirge that Jeremiah writes as he wanders around the destroyed city of Jerusalem. It had been devastated by the nation of Babylon in 586 BC, and its people taken captive. Jeremiah was no doubt absolutely horrified by the suffering and pain that he himself had both experienced and witnessed. From this passage, we can learn several things as we ourselves are going through difficult and traumatic times.
First, be honest about whatever you are feeling. When I lost a dear friend some years back, my wise wife encouraged me to let myself feel whatever I was feeling. It was strange: it was almost like I needed to give myself permission to grieve. Sometimes what we are feeling may be confusion, doubt, or anger with God. Did you know that about seventy percent of the Book of Psalms is filled with angry lament towards the Lord? Sometimes we don’t understand why things happen, and it is alright to let God know how and what we are feeling.
Second, in his grief, Jeremiah also took time to consider the goodness and mercies of God. It has been said that one of the reasons why tragedy is so terrible is because we are often so accustomed to the goodness of God in our lives that we begin to take those blessings for granted. Jeremiah reminds himself that while acknowledging his grief, he needs to allow himself to see the goodness of God displayed everyday. We need to do the same as well. It is always good to “count your blessings.”
Finally, Jeremiah trusts that God has allowed the hardships the Jewish people faced in order to bring about good. Through the suffering of life, he learns that “being rubbed in the dirt can teach us a lesson; we can also learn from insults and hard knocks.” When you are facing and working through personal hardship and trauma in your life, trust in God’s goodness and His wisdom, even if you don’t see it right away. God sees further then we do. Remember that even in the craziness and chaos, He is working to bring good.
Lord, right now so many people are facing hard times, especially in our area of Kentucky. Please encourage and lift everyone up who is working through some burden or burdens, maybe even ones that they don’t talk about it. We need You to please draw near and help each one. We thank You and praise You. Amen.