Does God Bring About Suffering?
Lamentations 3:37-58
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Sandra
Great Britain
David
Mexico
Saurabh
Bangladesh, Angola, Namibia
Ruth
India, Israel, Australia, New Zealand
Keith & Ruth Switzerland
Sarah
Swaziland
Wayne
Africa
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In Montana, the birthplace of Communism in Bulgaria, in the home of
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Former atheist starts Michigan church
B. Vito: NY,ID
If you talked with Robert Bastien, he would
tell you he asked this very question about his
wife, JoAnn. When she began praying, reading
Scripture, and attending church on a regular
basis, he wasn't sure about the changes. You
see, JoAnn grew up in the Catholic Church, but
eventually stopped attending services. Not
only that, she stopped believing God existed
and began to live as an atheist.
Lamentation 3 (NIV)
37 Who can
speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most
High
that both calamities and good things
come?
39 Why should the living complain
when punished for their sins?
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CALAMITIES
 When did the author of Lamentations
live?
 What historic event did he live through?
 How did his experience affect his view of
God?
 How do these scriptures help us
understand the struggles of people who
have experienced “calamities” in life?
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Lamentation 3 (NIV)
Let us examine our ways and
test them,
and let us return to the LORD.
41 Let us lift up our hearts and
our hands
to God in heaven, and say:
42 “We have sinned and rebelled
and you have not forgiven.
43 “You have covered yourself
with anger and pursued us;
you have slain without pity.
44 You have covered yourself
with a cloud
so that no prayer can get
through.
45 You
have made us scum and
refuse among the nations.
46 “All our enemies have opened
their mouths
wide against us.
47 We have suffered terror and
pitfalls,
ruin and destruction.”
48 Streams of tears flow from my
eyes
because my people are
destroyed.
49 My eyes will flow unceasingly,
without relief,
50 until the LORD looks down
from heaven and sees.
51 What I see brings grief to my
soul
because of all the women of
my city.
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The Call to Repent
 What are three things the author of
Lamentations calls for in verse 40?
 Why are these important?
 Why does the author describe God
as covering himself with a cloud?
 Does the author think that God is
having trouble seeing what is going
on?
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Lamentation 3 (NIV)
Those who were my enemies without cause
hunted me like a bird.
53 They tried to end my life in a pit
and threw stones at me;
54 the waters closed over my head,
and I thought I was about to perish.
55 I called on your name, LORD,
from the depths of the pit.
56 You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief.”
57 You came near when I called you,
and you said, “Do not fear.”
58 You, Lord, took up my case;
you redeemed my life.
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Responding to Suffering
 What is the difference between
God’s response to this passage as
compared to the previous passage?
 How did God answer the author’s
prayer in this case?
 How do these passages help us deal
with the suffering in today’s world?
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Next Week
Unit 1: Hard Sayings from the Old
Testament
Lesson 4: Is It Right to Test God?
Deuteronomy 6:16 & Judges 6:33-40
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