A Lament for the Broken
2026
The world descends into darkness: neighbor against neighbor; brother against brother.
In Russia and Ukraine.
In Israel and Palestine.
Throughout the African Continent.
And in the United States.
“For from the least to the greatest of them,
everyone is greedy for unjust gain;
and from prophet to priest,
everyone deals falsely.
They have healed the wound of my people lightly,
saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:13-14 English Standard Version).
“What is truth?” Pilate asked.
“There is no truth,” they reply. “Only my truth and your truth.”
They do not choose to see that the Truth offers hope and life.
“It is he who made the earth by his power,
who established the world by his wisdom,
and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain,
and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses” (Jeremiah 51:15-16 ESV).
When human systems dominate without God, there is no place for peace. When the self is god, there is no room for mercy.
“The godly has perished from the earth,
and there is no one upright among mankind;
they all lie in wait for blood,
and each hunts the other with a net.
Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well;
the prince and the judge ask for a bribe,
and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul;
thus they weave it together” (Micah 7:2-3 ESV).
Mercy has a name.
Goodness is His character.
Love is His will.
“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18-19 ESV).
We who call on the Lord Most High must learn to see all people through His eyes. All are made to bear the image of the Creator; His compassion is available to all of humanity.
We who know Truth too often fail to mediate peace with the passion that Love requires.
Forgive us.
Renew in us our conviction and commission to imitate Jesus for the sake of the lost.
For the sake of the unseen and unheard.
For the sake of both oppressors and oppressed, for both are blinded.
For our own sake and for the Bride.
“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment’” (Revelation 21:5-6 ESV).
Amen.
References
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles, 2001. Bible Gateway, www.biblegateway.com/versions/English-Standard-Version-ESV-Bible/.
