Blame and Balm

“I am the man who has seen affliction
    under the rod of his wrath;
he has driven and brought me
    into darkness without any light;
surely against me he turns his hand
    again and again the whole day long.

He has made my flesh and skin waste away;
    he has broken my bones;
he has besieged and enveloped me
    with bitterness and tribulation…

Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
    the wormwood and the gall!
My soul continually remembers it
    and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
    and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,
    ‘therefore I will hope in him.’

The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
    to the soul who seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord…

For the Lord will not
    cast off forever,
but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
    according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
for he does not afflict from his heart
    or grieve the children of men…
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
    that good and bad come?
Why should a living man complain…
   about the punishment of his sins?

Let us test and examine our ways,
    and return to the Lord!
Let us lift up our hearts and hands
    to God in heaven:
‘We have transgressed and rebelled,
    and you have not forgiven…’

I called on your name, O Lord,
    from the depths of the pit;
you heard my plea…
You came near when I called on you;
    you said, ‘Do not fear!’

You have taken up my cause, O Lord;
    you have redeemed my life.” Lamentations 3:1-5,19-26,31-33,38-42,55-58

From the midst of his agony, the prophet understood both the wrath and mercy of God. Everything happened as a result of His sovereign initiative, for His redemptive purposes and glory. The sufferer was indeed afflicted, but divine cause could rightly receive no blame. It was Israel’s rebellion that invited the strange work of punishment from the Holy One. Languishing, he was shown love; in cruel pain, compassion. The words of these soul wanderings woven with the balm of hope are at the ready for all who would read and listen. (Isaiah 28:21-22)

Blessing upon blessing we receive in gladness, accustomed to ease and goodness. We come to think we deserve each favor and have a right to every enjoyment. In comfort and prosperity we forget from whose mouth and hand they come, betraying their benevolent source. Self-worth inflates, hearts calcify. Grace denied is God defied is idolatry tried. God will not be mocked. (Galatians 6:7-8)

With warped thinking, we blame God for our discipline, blind to personal culpability. Even owning mistakes, we fault others. But the Lord holds individuals accountable for everything done in the flesh. His harsh judgment convicts, turns us to His mercy, and effects ultimate redemption. (Romans 2:4; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 12:5-7)

Am I so broken and bowed that I see not my sin? Where am I blaming God for judgment rather than owning up to my guilt? Where have I received balm in the midst of His refining?

Father, help me take honest blame for the discipline I deserve, and ever sing with hope.