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Lamentations 5:19, 21 - Hope & Prayer for Restoration.

Lamentations 5:19, 21 - Hope & Prayer for Restoration.

Lamentations 5:19, 21 (NIV) You, O Lord, reign forever; your 
throne endures from generation to generation. Restore us to yourself, O 
Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old  

Lamentations 5:19, 21 (NLT) But Lord, you remain the same 
forever! Your throne continues from generation to generation. Restore us, 
O Lord, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we 
once had!  

Lamentations 5:19, 21 (MSG) And yet, God, you're sovereign 
still, your throne intact and eternal. Bring us back to you, God--we're 
ready to come back. Give us a fresh start.  

Lamentations 5:19, 21 (TLB) O Lord, forever you remain the same! 
Your throne continues from generation to generation. Turn us around 
and bring us back to you again! That is our only hope! Give us back 
the joys we used to have!  

CONTEXT & INTRODUCTION

Lamentations 5:1-22: A Prayer for Restoration. [Remnant SOP SB]

This is much more, however, than a prayer for release from 
captivity. Jeremiah repeatedly used the same language for both temporal and 
spiritual restoration (Jer. 3:1, 12; 31:16-21). Here is emphasized the 
fact that only God can restore the lost sinner to divine favor, only 
He can bestow the grace that makes it possible for a sinner to 
repent, to "return" to Him (see Acts 5:31; Rom. 2:4). [SDA Bible 
Commentary] 

COMMENTARY APPLICATION

No matter how hopeless you feel, no matter how difficult the 
present situation may be, God is still ruling in this universe, and He 
will not forsake you... God's chastening is proof that He loves you and 
has not forsaken you (Heb. 12:5-11). One day, He will take you out 
of the furnace and give you a new start. You will be a new and 
better person if you let Him have His way. [Chapter by Chapter Bible 
Commentary by Warren Wiersbe] 

   In the midst of the ongoing upheaval in the world around us, 
the ravages of war on the nation of Judah that the prophet has 
lamented in this verse, the enormous changes we see as the result of war, 
terrorist attacks, cultural shifts, climate upheaval, or natural 
disasters, have you ever wondered, where is God? The answer to that 
question is that he is still on his throne and reigning over all heaven 
and earth. He is not shocked, surprised, panicked, or disturbed by 
what happens in the world. Nothing can thwart his plans. How 
encouraging and comforting to remember that in an ever-changing world, God 
does not change. His mercy is as fresh today as it was the day we 
first believed. His grace is just as available today as it was the day 
he allowed his Son to die on the cross so that all who trusted him 
would not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). No matter what 
happens, we have hope because our hope is in him, not in what we can see 
around us. He reigns from generation to generation, and he is working 
out his purposes perfectly!  
   Almighty Unchanging God who sits above the centuries, I 
praise you for your faithfulness and unfailing love. You remain the 
same forever. You reign over all the heavens and earth! You are the 
reason we hope! [Praying Through The Bible By Fuller re v. 19] 

What peace it brings to the Christian's heart to realize that 
our heavenly father never differs from himself .... Today, this 
moment, he feels toward his creatures, toward babies, toward the sick, 
the fallen, the sinful, exactly as he did when he sent his only 
begotten son into the world to die for mankind. A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:

Prophecies Decoded Sermon Series: 
http://www.propheciesdecoded.com/program 

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/

Grace Notes: http://www.e-gracenotes.org/index.php

Excellent Spiritual Resource Site: 
http://www.christianlifemediacenter.com/   

More Spiritual Resources: http://www.aBible.com