I don’t find much quiet in our cacophonous world. Not that I look for it. For entertainment I scroll through the news, laugh at funny reels, and watch football. Work involves plowing through emails, planning and participating in meetings, talking on the phone and traveling through airports. None of which brings me quiet.

Yet a few minutes of stillness goes a long way towards moving the center of my life beyond myself to the Lord. In Lamentations we read: The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Jeremiah wrote these words in the midst of calamity. Nothing tended towards quiet in his world. But he understood his soul-level need to slow down, to breath, to wait.

Just a few minutes. When I carve time out of my day to sit quietly, I benefit deeply. Treat yourself. Find a quiet place, sit in silence and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Lamentations 3:25-26

Photo by Aaron Burden

A year ago a window salesman came by our house. The gentleman discussed various options and how they’d upgrade the curb appeal of our house. Sort of ho-hum. Then he took a heat lamp and shined it on the demonstration window. While the lamp side was too hot to touch, the opposite side barely felt warm. The quality of construction and the energy savings caught my attention. I didn’t need curb appeal, I needed high caliber windows.

Peter brought a high caliber argument into one of his letters to fellow believers: We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

The apostle didn’t point out the positive lifestyle changes or health benefits one may incur by following Jesus (though study after study point to religious devotion as a factor in a long and happy life). He did not promise ease or wealth, or use flattery or sleight of hand.

Instead, Peter called attention to the majesty of Jesus, the need to see Jesus as Savior rather than a grantor of favors. He’s not the godfather, he’s God, one with the Father. I’m better when I come to see Jesus as a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

Don’t settle for cleverly devised myths when the topic of faith comes up. Point to the real thing, to strength where we need it most. Don’t get me wrong, the side benefits of Jesus are unmatched. But his majesty and power far exceed his curb appeal.

1 Peter 1:16-19

Photo by Nicolas Solerieu

I find it challenging that one of the most hopeful sentences in the Bible lies in the middle of a lament about destruction. With a city in ruins, a culture in shambles, and formerly free people shuffling off as slaves, the author set down this line:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

The writer described the plight facing the people of Jerusalem using phrases like the rod of God’s wrath, skin wasting away, and darkness without light. I’m astounded that even in the thick of carnage someone could perceive the tender-heartedness of God.

I usually experience these words as a praise chorus, in a setting surrounded by like-minded seekers. I’m standing there fed, clothed, clean and unhurried. I’ve left my well-furnished home and driven to church in my comfortable car. It’s a crime if I fail to recognize the mercies of God surrounding me. Yet I take them for granted.

Caught in a nightmare like few of us will ever experience, Jeremiah (traditionally held as the author of Lamentations) unearthed the grace and compassion of God. I pray I might find the same within the brighter circumstances surrounding me.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Photo by Aaron Burden

When suffering from a headache I want relief fast. I go look for some fast-acting pain pills in the medicine cabinet. But I don’t often equate compassion with speed.

The Israelite community suffered during the fall of Jerusalem and the subsequent expulsion to Babylon. They wanted relief fast, and so prayed: Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.

These hurting people asked for the Lord’s care to arrive quickly, asap, without delay. Weren’t they the sheep of God’s pasture? Perhaps they felt some relief as they sustained the shame of exile and the loss of face, but a return to their former status was off the table.

Compassion rarely entails returning everything to its previous setting. These exiles, many of whom rejected the Lord during years of freedom, turned back to the Lord during years of exile. God’s long acting empathy emerged from the ashes of Jerusalem. Faith kindled once again into flame.

Difficult circumstances turned hearts back to God. The sheep looked once again to their shepherd. Maybe not as speedy as hoped, but that’s compassion at work.

Psalm 79:8

Photo by Dan Dennis