So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 NKJV.

If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7.

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord. They rejoice in Your name all day long; they exult in Your righteousness. Psalm 89:15-16.

This morning as I was making coffee, there was a kind of darkness creeping in. I felt like I was already fighting off darts of darkness coming at me one after the other. And as I sat to read our chapter, Lamentations 2, I felt heavy because this weight carries into this reading. And Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, reminded me so gently He is in my moments big and small, insignificant and larger than this life…in hope and despair, doubt and faith, joy and sadness, worries and fears. His kingdom is not delayed. His kingdom is. We need to remember that! And two notes below helped me: “2:9 Four powerful symbols and sources of security were lost: the protection of the “gates”, the leadership of the “king” and “princes”, the guidance of the “law”, and the vision of the “prophets”. With those four factors present, the people were lulled into a false sense of security and felt comfortable with their sins. But after each was removed, the people were confronted with the choice of repenting and returning to God or continuing on this path of suffering. Don’t substitute symbols, even good ones, for the reality of a living, personal relationship with God Himself.” And this, “2:19 The people’s suffering and sin should have brought them to the Lord, weeping for forgiveness. Only when our prideful, independent hearts are broken over sin can God come to our rescue. Just feeling sorry about experiencing sin’s consequences does not bring forgiveness. But if we cry out to God in repentance, He will forgive us.” How the Lord has covered Daughter Zion with the cloud of His anger! He has hurled down the splendor of Israel from heaven to earth; He has not remembered His footstool in the day of His anger…Her gates have sunk into the ground; their bars He has broken and destroyed. Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations, the law is no more, and her prophets no longer find visions from the Lord…The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading…The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. You walls of Daughter Zion, let your tears flow like a river day and night; give yourself no relief, your eyes no rest…Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at every street corner…v. 1, 9, 14, 18, 19. I can’t imagine what that was truly like but those living in war-torn areas today can. Those feeling deep pain and sorrow can. Those adrift and hurting can. All of this, every bit of it, is real. Can we mourn for the darkness in this world today? And can we remember that we are not alone? Devastating loss has a way of stripping away everything we depend on…our ideas of what is right and wrong. Compound that with every person and nation living today and no wonder we are so lost and clamoring for a sense of control. So Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, told us what is real…Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. Matthew 24:35. Our God has never lied to us. Everything false will need to pass away. Just as Jerusalem needed to pass away for the sins it would not turn away from, and just as Jeremiah with those remaining, and those in exile needed to lament…so too do we need to lament the sorrows of this world and know they, too, will pass away. Because our Creator God is…and His kingdom is. Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. John 17:3.