#DailyDevotion It Is Good To Bear Our Yoke In Faith

Lamentations 3:26-33 ²⁶ It is good to hope quietly for the LORD to save us. ²⁷ It is good for a man to carry a yoke when he’s young. ²⁸ He should sit alone and quietly because the Lord has laid it on him. ²⁹He should put his face in the dust; there may still be hope. 30 He should offer his cheek to him who strikes him and take his fill of insults ³¹because the Lord will not reject him forever. ³² Even if He makes us suffer, He will be merciful — He’s very kind. ³³ He doesn’t want to hurt anyone or make people suffer.

Now Jeremiah, who is a prophet of the LORD during the destruction of Jerusalem, the temple and the exile of the Jews to Babylon is telling to hope quietly for the LORD and to carry a yoke, because it is the LORD who laid it upon them. This just sounds so foreign to most of our ears I would think. Yet, we would rather complain loudly to God and tell him how unfair all this seems to us. I’m sure a fair number of the Jews in Jeremiah’s day did complain against the LORD. It would seem it is their nature to do so considering how their ancestors in the wilderness grumbled against the LORD a number of times because they did not trust the LORD to take care of them. How can we do such a thing any differently?

We can trust the LORD to take care of us when we look to Jesus Christ, who is the LORD in his passion, i.e. his suffering, death and resurrection. Before his passion began he did cry out to his Father in heaven to deliver him from it. Once his suffering began, being arrested, he submitted quietly to the will of his Father. He had put his face to the ground in hope. Yet once the Father’s will had been revealed to him, he took up the yoke and remained quiet during the time of his suffering. He gave his cheek to those who struck him and was filled with insults from both his own people the gentiles. He could do this trusting the LORD would not reject him forever. The LORD would be merciful and kind to him. On the third day, the LORD, our Father, rose Jesus Christ, the LORD from the dead. That was his hope. That is also our hope.

So we too, those for whom the LORD Jesus Christ took a yoke upon himself, suffered afflictions from men and insults, should also take upon ourselves the yoke that is placed upon us. Each of us has a yoke for us to bear. In the midst of trials and tribulations we should humble ourselves and place our faces in the ground and pray for deliverance and not grumble against the LORD in unbelief. If we are going to complain, let us do so in the same hope as Jesus. Let us come before God the LORD trusting we will not be rejected forever. Let us submit to our crosses believing the LORD will be merciful and very kind.

We have these words, “He doesn’t want to hurt anyone or make people suffer.” The LORD takes no pleasure in disciplining his children and calling them to repentance. This is not something he wants to do. He would indeed rather pour out his love, mercy, kindness and compassion upon us. But that is not what we need sometimes in our sinful flesh. It is God’s alien, foreign, work to bring suffering upon us. Yet, he uses these crosses for our good. Paul writes in Romans 8, ²⁸“We know that God works all things out for good for those who love God, who are called according to His plan.” We can trust God in Christ Jesus who has made this promise to us.

Heavenly Father, grant that we may in humility and trust accept the crosses laid upon us knowing you will be kind and merciful as you were to your Son Jesus Christ our LORD. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.