“You, O Lord, remain forever;
Your throne from generation to generation.
20 Why do You forget us forever,
And forsake us for so long a time?
21 Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored;
Renew our days as of old,
22 Unless You have utterly rejected us,
And are very angry with us!” Lamentations 5:19-22 NKJV
“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” Psalm 51:10-12
O God,
The writer to Lamentations though not responsible for all the sin in Judah – knows the only way to approach You, God to ask for help is admitting he needs to turn back to You and be restored first. just as David prayed through His Psalm 51.
There is nothing we can do to change anything. We cannot persuade you, cajolle you, do good deeds for You, donate time and money to You. We need a repentant heart. You to humble us and bring us to where we can be restored. Nothing is too difficult for You, as Jeremiah reminded us in 32:17. Then following restoration will come renewed days and joy. The writer to Lamentations however is in deep distress and recognises that God may still be angry because they deserve it.
None of us deserve the full love, forgiveness and blessing of God. But we receive them because of Jesus who died and rose again (John 1:29). He is no longer angry with us. He is not the judge sitting on a cloud waiting for us to do wrong. He is the loving Father with us, helping us, guiding us, encouraging us, chastising us, forgiving us all the way home. Our hearts and minds always with Him.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Monday 10th August 2026
Yes another I try and sneak in regularly because for me it is one of those profound, private and honest worship songs.
There comes a time in each believer’s life
When problems crowd around
And in the darkness, hands outstretched
We reach to touch You once again
And oh, the joy that’s found
Slip off your shoes and leave your doubts outside
You won’t be using the walk of the world in His presence
You’ll only need your repentant heart
Now it may seem funny
But if you use the word too much
The meaning flies away
Sorry doesn’t mean a lot
Unless you understand the cost
And how the price was paid
Chorus
So come and sit by your Father’s side
Tell Him what’s on your heart
Give your worries to Him
Every problem, every sin
And make a brand new, come on
Make a brand new start
Chorus
And that’s a start
Slip off your shoes
Lyrics: John Pantry