Scripture:

"The LORD has done what he planned; he has fulfilled his word, which he decreed long ago. He has overthrown you without pity, he has let the enemy gloat over you, he has exalted the horn of your foes." — Lamentations 2:17

I know when we read this book of Lamentations, we might tend to wonder why this is important. It is important because it tells you and me that God understands emotion, and honestly, we should be sorrowful in our sin; we should also be sorrowful for those who are lost.  It is not that God does not tell us where we will end up, the trouble we will find if we stray from Him, and today in verse 17 of Chapter 2 we see that no matter what the circumstances are, God is faithful and just to keep His word. 

God is not acting randomly; He is fulfilling the consequences for disobedience that He warned about centuries prior 

In Lamentations 1:1, we see that Judah is lamenting over her greatness; rather than the depth of her sin, she has not turned her heart back and cried out because of her sin but rather because of her loss.   Something to grasp here is that while loss is always tough, we should consider that which brought us into the state we are in and get back to the Lord, repent, and allow Him to restore us, because He remains faithful and just, and He will keep His word.

Today's God-Shot is that our heart position, and that of the people around us, those who are lost, should impact us.  Two things: first, for ourselves, we should fear the Lord, and the word the bible uses for fear is not being afraid in the sense of being scared, but rather fear letting Him down; we should consider our sin, our distance, and get back to Him, repent quickly.   Second, we should be in great distress about the world around us, which motivates us to not only Lament, but to do something about it.

Lord, forgive us if we are distant, known or unknown sin; turn our hearts to you today, give us a passion for the lost, to see the redemption of your people; help us be part of your plan to redeem them from the patterns of the world, help us to share the good news with all that we encounter in Jesus' name, Amen!