Grief from our Faulty Confidence
Lamentations 4:11-22
When I had my first child, I experienced debilitating postpartum anxiety. I have always been a cautious person, constantly “worried” about things, but the first six months of my son's life on Earth were some of the scariest and loneliest of my life. On nights when he would sleep long stretches, I would wake up repeatedly instead of resting myself to make sure he was still breathing. On days when the weather was excellent, and I wanted to go for a walk, I would remain paralyzed on the couch, imagining everything that could go wrong if we stepped outside. Now, I know that postpartum anxiety and depression are real disorders that often need medical intervention (which I thankfully got)—that season led me to become relentlessly dependent on myself. My anxiety felt so crippling because I believed the lie that if I didn’t do the “right” thing, then ____ terrible outcome would occur. It didn’t even cross my mind to ask God for help. I wanted to trust in what I could see and how I could ensure the life I wanted. But the funny thing about coping alone was that I felt utterly defeated. The unending list of things I had no control over or couldn’t prevent would flood my mind, and I was left helpless, burned out, and fearful.
God’s people had done the same thing. Jeremiah warned the people what was coming if they didn’t listen to God. Jeremiah had specifically told Judah not to ally itself with Egypt, he pleaded with them to listen to God, but instead, they asked Egypt to help them fight the Babylonian army. They were ultimately disappointed when Egypt abandoned them. Instead of listening to the words of Jeremiah and trusting God to lead them, the people chose to trust in their king Zedekiah who ultimately ended up being captured. God’s people chose the path of false confidence, complacency, and security rather than following God's directives through the prophet Jeremiah. And what was the outcome? Destruction.
The world is filled with uncertainty. Each day we see tragedies and horrific realities play out across our world. However, when our anxieties and fears begin to bubble, would we trust what we cannot see or control to the One who holds all things? Judah’s reliance on themselves resulted in the destruction they had wanted to avoid. Our only hope is in Jesus. We cannot control what will happen, but we can trust the God who leads us. Our God is a good Father who desires to be with us and responds quickly in our times of need. Praise God that the weight of our sin is no longer on our shoulders but on those of Christ.
