Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at every street corner.

Lamentations 1-2

Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at every street corner. Lamentations 2:19

Day 239 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as I start with a study of the Lamentations.  Both my commentary* and the MacArthur Bible Study Commentary (for purchase) attribute authorship to Jeremiah and my commentary describes "Jeremiah['s] grie[f] at the loss of Jerusalem and the scattering of God’s people. He is both angry and sad. He is angry at the priests and prophets whose sins made the destruction necessary. He is angry at the nations which have either directly overthrown Judah or failed to come to her rescue. But mostly Jeremiah is sad. This weeping prophet, who so many times lamented his own sufferings, now laments the suffering of his fellow countrymen."

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

God wants a relationship with us - He wants us to depend on Him.  He wants us to bring our every care and concern to Him.  

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:22

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 

Jeremiah weeps and grieves over the suffering of Judah - we should also weep and grieve to God over the suffering of others.  Tony Merida, author of Ordinary, wants us to go even further.  He seeks to have believers feel compelled act in love for others as a response to the overflowing love God has for us.  Merida describes in his book how God will work in extraordinary ways through us if we simply have courage to act in ordinary ways through kindness, hospitality, etc.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves and who hears my cries and is always with me.  Thank You Jesus - I am not deserving of Your love.  My sin continues...daily. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa an myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

Jude 1

Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. v22-23

Jude wants us to stand firm in our faith in the face of those who corrupt the church.  As we do this, we must be careful not to judge or be harsh.  Instead we are to be merciful.

Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.  Matthew 7:1-5

Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! James 5:9

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. Romans 14:13 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a merciful God, full of love, patience, compassion, kindness, etc. for me even though often I am not for others.  Thank You Jesus for such love but please forgive me for my sin and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself strength and wisdom.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.