What is the meaning of Lamentations 3:55? I called • The verse begins with decisive action: “I called.” It is not a casual wish but an intentional cry for help, echoing the pattern of God’s people through the ages. • Psalm 18:6 mirrors this urgency: “In my distress I called upon the LORD… and my cry for His help reached His ears.” • Scripture presents calling as the believer’s first response in crisis (Psalm 34:17; James 5:13), showing trust that the Lord both hears and answers. on Your name • Calling “on Your name” means appealing to God’s revealed character—His faithfulness, mercy, and power. • Exodus 34:5-6 highlights that name: “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious…” • Proverbs 18:10 adds, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” • Thus, Jeremiah (the likely speaker) isn’t reciting a formula; he is leaning on the unchanging nature of God Himself. O LORD • The direct address “O LORD” reinforces covenant intimacy. He isn’t praying to a distant deity but to Yahweh who pledged Himself to Israel. • Isaiah 42:8 declares, “I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not give My glory to another.” • Such personal address assures the sufferer that God’s past promises are still binding in the present moment. out of the depths • “The depths” describe overwhelming circumstances—emotional, physical, or spiritual. Psalm 130:1 uses the same phrase: “Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD.” • Jonah, swallowed by the great fish, prayed “from the depths of Sheol” (Jonah 2:1-2), proving no place is too remote for God’s ear. • These depths can be self-inflicted or imposed by others, yet God invites honest cries from either situation. of the Pit • In Lamentations, the “Pit” likely recalls Jeremiah’s literal imprisonment in a muddy cistern (Jeremiah 38:6). • The pit also symbolizes death, ruin, or the darkest seasons of life (Psalm 40:2: “He lifted me up from the pit of destruction”). • By stating his location so starkly, the writer underlines God’s power to reach the lowest point imaginable and rescue. summary Lamentations 3:55 captures a believer’s reflex in profound trouble: a deliberate call upon the covenant-keeping LORD, confident that His character guarantees a hearing even from life’s deepest pit. The verse models how faith clings to God’s name, trusts His ear, and anticipates deliverance no matter how hopeless the circumstances appear. |
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