Baruch 3:1-8: a reflection

1O Lord Almighty, you God of Israel, the soul in anguish and the troubled spirit cries to you. 2Hear, O Lord, and have mercy; for you are a merciful God. Yes, have mercy upon us, because we have sinned before you. 3For you are enthroned forever, and we keep perishing. 4O Lord Almighty, you God of Israel, hear now the prayer of the dead Israelites, and of the children of those who were sinners before you, who didn’t listen to the voice of you their God; because of this, these plagues cling to us. 5Don’t remember the iniquities of our fathers, but remember your power and your name at this time. 6For you are the Lord our God, and we will praise you, O Lord. 7For this cause, you have put your fear in our hearts, to the intent that we should call upon your name. We will praise you in our captivity, for we have called to mind all the iniquity of our fathers who sinned before you. 8Behold, we are yet this day in our captivity where you have scattered us, for a reproach and a curse, and to be subject to penalty according to all the iniquities of our fathers who departed from the Lord our God.

This prayer rises from the depths of affliction and captivity, and yet it does not wait for deliverance to turn to God. O Lord Almighty, the soul in anguish and the troubled spirit cries to you. Hear, O Lord, and have mercy, for we have sinned before you. And remarkably, from within the captivity itself, the prayer turns to praise: We will praise you in our captivity. Even there, in the affliction, before any rescue, they call on God and praise him; and they recognize that God put his fear in their hearts that they should call on his name.

Notice that this prayer worships God from within the affliction, not only after deliverance. The people are still in captivity, still bearing the consequences of sin; and yet, from within that affliction, they cry to God, confess their sin, and even praise him. They do not wait until they are rescued to turn to God; they turn to him in the midst of the trouble, calling on his name and praising him even in captivity. And they see God's hand in it: he put his fear in their hearts, that even the affliction might turn them to call on him.

That worship from within affliction, rather than only after deliverance, is worth learning. We can be tempted to hold off turning wholeheartedly to God until our trouble is past, as though praise must wait for deliverance; but this prayer cries to God and praises him from within the captivity itself. When you are in affliction, do not wait for deliverance to turn to God; cry to him, confess your sin, and even praise him from within the trouble, as this prayer praised God in captivity. God may be at work even in your affliction, putting his fear in your heart that you might call on him; turn to him now, in the midst of it, rather than waiting until it is past. Worship God from within your affliction, calling on his name and even praising him before any rescue, as this prayer cried to God and praised him from the depths of captivity, recognizing that God had put his fear in their hearts that they should call on his name.

Lord Almighty, this prayer rises from the depths of affliction and captivity, and yet does not wait for deliverance to turn to you: the soul in anguish cries to you; hear, and have mercy, for we have sinned before you. And remarkably, from within the captivity itself, it turns to praise: we will praise you in our captivity. Even there, before any rescue, they call on you and praise you; and they recognize that you put your fear in their hearts that they should call on your name. Show me that this prayer worships you from within the affliction, not only after deliverance. The people are still in captivity, still bearing the consequences of sin; and yet, from within that affliction, they cry to you, confess their sin, and even praise you. They do not wait until they are rescued; they turn to you in the midst of the trouble. And they see your hand in it: you put your fear in their hearts, that even the affliction might turn them to call on you. Help me learn that worship from within affliction, rather than only after deliverance. I can be tempted to hold off turning wholeheartedly to you until my trouble is past; but this prayer cries to you and praises you from within the captivity itself. When I am in affliction, keep me from waiting for deliverance to turn to you; help me cry to you, confess my sin, and even praise you from within the trouble. You may be at work even in my affliction, putting your fear in my heart that I might call on you; help me turn to you now, Lord, in the midst of it, worshiping you even before any rescue.