By Derek Prince
We will now look at a remarkable passage in the book of Lamentations. The sad fact of the lamentations of Jeremiah is that they were written, in a sense, too late. The judgment of God had passed over. People had been carried away, little children were dying of starvation, men had been killed in war, mothers were bereaved. The city lamented, the people had been put to an open shame, and there was no way to change the course of events. They had waited until it was too late.
Lamentations is a tragic book. But it is good for us to make up our minds that there will not be a book of lamentations over our own country. In Lamentations 3 we read:
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I hope in Him!’ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone and keep silent, because God has laid it on him; let him put his mouth in the dust; there may yet be hope.” (Lamentations 3:22–29)
This portion of the above passage was actually part of my personal testimony. I can remember being in the desert, day after day, night after night, for months on end, never seeing a paved road. I was surrounded by carnal, blaspheming soldiers who had no interest in God or the things of God. I was unable to escape because there was no way I could get away from it. I sat alone in the dust and kept silent before God. I didn’t like it, but it was good for me, and it strengthened my faith.
If you will follow the prescription in Joel that we examined earlier, get down on your face in the dust before God, humble yourself, rend your heart and not your garment, seek God with all your heart, and set aside every material distraction, God will rend the heavens and come down. The mountains will melt at His presence, and we will see a mighty Holy Spirit revival. (See Isaiah 64:1.) We are on the winning side!
Let’s make up our minds that there will not be a book of lamentations over our country.