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365 Devotionals: Tears For God’s People

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22 AMP

The Seeds of Promise Devotional Series

Open The Eyes of My Heart

Memory Verse: Open the eyes of their hearts, and let the light of Your truth flood in. Shine Your light on the hope You are calling them to embrace. Reveal to them the glorious riches You are preparing as their inheritance. Ephesians 1:18 The Voice Bible (VOICE)

Song of The Day

Listen to “Open The Eyes of My Heart” Performed by Tod Galberth (Song by Michael W. Smith).

Bible Basis

August	Book	Read From	Read To	Devotional
30^th	Lamentations	Chapter 1	Chapter 2	Open The Eyes of My Heart

Key People

Here is a list of key people – the who’s who of overcomers, found in today’s reading (in order of appearance) with bios from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Jeremiah. Also called the “weeping prophet”. One of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. According to Jewish tradition, Jeremiah authored the Book of Jeremiah, the Books of Kings and the Book of Lamentations, with the assistance and under the editorship of Baruch ben Neriah, his scribe and disciple.

Today’s Devotional Reading: Lamentations 1 – 2

Lamentations 1 Amplified Version (AMP)
Lamentations 2 Amplified Version (AMP)

Commentary Based on Wikipedia “Book of Revelations”

Lamentations chapters 1, 2, and 4 have 22 verses. Each chapter is a poem. Each verse corresponds to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In order, the first lines begin with the first letter of the alphabet. The second lines begin with the second letter, and the verses contine.

Chapter 1 describes the city as a desolate and weeping widow who is overcome with miseries. It is a the element of the funeral dirge qinah, which laments the loss of the city. In Chapter 2, the miseries of chapter 1 are described as results of the sins of the nation and God’s response to them. It is a plea for the restoration of the people, a “communal lament.”

Reflection

God will not always strive with man in his selfishness and disobedience. There comes a time when you have to either choose God or choose to face life without Him. God is not itching for a punishing role. It is our enemy in the earth (Satan) who wishes to overwhelm you with miseries. Frankly, he is jealous of your ability to in right standing with God (righteous) and to be blessed and highly favored. Satan had a chance in heaven and he blew it. He will never be able to return. But if today you hear God’s voice and do not harden your heart, you can secure your eternity with Him.

In today’s reading, as with the previous book of Jeremiah, God is laying down the sentence for repercussions of egregious sin. Thankfully, people on earth today have a method whereby they can be grafted into God’s royal family and find compassion from Him.

Today, can we take a lesson from rebellious Zion, and choose to do the opposite? Let us ask God to open the eyes of our hearts that we may see Him in a new light, with a fresh perspective, with out minds focused on His grace and truth. In everything we do, can we just take time to give Him thanks, give Him praise, to bless His name. Let God be high and lifted up in our presence, reverenced for all that He has done and is doing and will do in our lives.

And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the [a]hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the [b]saints (God’s people), Ephesians 1:18 AMP

References

« The Amplified Bible
« The King James Bible
« Book of Lamentations (Wikipedia)

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Image Source: 365 Seeds of Promise by Shenica R. Graham.