SOAP Lamentations: Girl, Get Up and Wash Your Face!

Girl, Get Up and Wash Your Face!

Lamentations 5

Yet you, Yahweh, reign forever! Your throne endures from age to age. Have you forgotten us forever? Why have you abandoned us for so long? Draw us back to yourself, Yahweh; let us come back to you! Restore us as we were before.

‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭TPT‬‬

I have loved the insight from each of our contributors this week as we walked through Lamentations.  Each sharing a unique perspective and lesson learned.

Lament means to mourn and wail. And I can't help but hear “Girl, get up and wash your face.” There is no better ear to share your saddness with then with the Lord.  No better One to air your frustrations to. No better shoulder to cry on and mourn.

I don’t know about you, but lamenting on what’s bringing me down keeps me down. And that’s where I need to snap out of it and start making changes in my thinking-in my outlook-and where I’m headed. I can’t do that dwelling and lamenting in my suffering. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s important to sit with Christ in our suffering.

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

You can trust these words: If we were joined with him in his death, then we are joined with him in his life! If we are joined with him in his sufferings, then we will reign together with him in his triumph. But if we disregard him, then he will also disregard us.

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Sit with Him in suffering, acknowledge pain, loss, discomfort, discouragement, betrayal, misunderstanding, lack, bitterness. Sit yes. Acknowledge He is Lord. Trust Him with your next choice, your next day, and your future.

Worship.

Worship some more.

In the midst of it all He is worthy of your praise, thanksgiving, and worship.

I’ve said to myself often recently, “I will give Him my worship”, because only humans can acknowledge God in the midst of their pain and suffering and choose how to direct it: moaning and lamenting, or worship and praise.

So, “Girl, get up and wash your face!”

Prayer: King Jesus! Ruler and lover of my heart! Lord, Lord! You reign forever. You alone are worthy of my gratitude and hallelujah. Thank you, for not forgetting me nor forsaking me. You sit with me in my pain and you sit with me in my worship. You are near in my every moment and hear my every whisper. Thank You God for who You are. I bow down and worship You. In Jesus’s name, amen.