Restore Us To Yourself O LORD!

Lamentations 5:20-22
(20) Why do you always forget us?
Why do you forsake us so long?
(21) Restore us to yourself, LORD, that we may return;
renew our days as of old
(22) unless you have utterly rejected us
and are angry with us beyond measure.

This is a prayer directed to God. This is a prayer pleading for mercy from God. The tone of the prayer is that of a surrendered person. This is a prayer resulting from deep soul searching. Restore us to Yourself O God!

The book of Lamentations was written by Prophet Jeremiah. He wrote at a time when Babylon was overthrowing Jerusalem. He wrote at a time when Israelites were unable to fight or defend themselves against Babylon. He wrote at a time of national shame.

Jeremiah wrote at the time when Israelites were taken to captivity as slaves. He wrote at a time when many had been killed in the failed struggle to secure Jerusalem against Babylonians. He wrote at a time when the nation was desperate and all hope was almost gone.

Jeremiah wrote knowing very well this was a punishment for sins. Jeremiah as a prophet of doom had warned Israelites that their sins will lead to this kind of carnage. Now Jeremiah laments on behalf of himself and the suffering people.

Our text today is the last words of lamentation. Jeremiah seems to complain that God has left them for too long. A painful punishment for a few days may seem like a century-long. The pain is too much and it seems like God has abandoned His people forever.

Jeremiah is so desperate. He tells God to save them unless He has totally abandoned them. Unless God is so angry that He can’t forgive and save.

The climax of this prayer is the plea that asks God Israel to Himself. This plea means that on their own, Israel is unable to return to God. Restore us to Yourself O God!

This prayer is a confession that their only hope is God. Unless God intervenes Israelites are doomed. Only God can save them. Restore us to Yourself O God!

This prayer is a confession that Israel has drifted away from God and are unable to come back to God by itself. Therefore, the prayer is that God acts to save them from drifting further. Restore us to Yourself O God!

Have you sinned against God? Do you feel like you have drifted away from God? Do you feel and know that your situation is bad because you have been separated from God? Are you sure and aware that restoring your relationship with God will make things good for you?

This is the prayer that all of us should make. This is the prayer that should not be routine but a true reflection of what we expect from God. Restore us to Yourself O God!

Restore us to Yourself O God! In Jesus’s name, Amen!

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