There are seasons when I can clearly see God opening doors, making paths straight and moving things forward. And then there are seasons when the road seems to become more complicated.
Reading Lamentations 3–5 reminded me that God is still God over both kinds of roads.
The God who says in Isaiah 45:2, “I will go before you and level the mountains,” is the same God described in Lamentations 3 as having “made my road crooked.”
That contrast stood out to me.
Sometimes God removes the obstacle. Sometimes He allows the obstacle. Sometimes He opens the door, and sometimes He uses a closed door to redirect, discipline, protect or mature us.
Either way, He remains Lord over the road.
When God Allows the Road to Become Crooked
Lamentations 3:1, 8–9
Chapter 3 describes experiencing affliction under God’s judgment:
“He has blocked my way with a high stone wall; he has made my road crooked.”
In context, this isn’t simply someone experiencing an inconvenient season. Jerusalem was facing the consequences of persistent rebellion against God. Chapter 3 captures the anguish of living through God’s judgment on Judah.
Yet something about “He has made my road crooked” made me pause.
I immediately thought about Isaiah 45:2, where God promises:
“I will go before you and level the mountains.”
The same God has authority over both.
That changes how I think about difficult seasons. When something isn’t moving as quickly or smoothly as I expected, my first response doesn’t always need to be, “God, remove this.”
Sometimes the better prayer is:
“Lord, what are You doing through this?”
In business, marriage, purpose, rebuilding, leadership and even personal growth, we can become so focused on reaching the destination that we assume every obstacle is opposition.
But not every difficult road means we are outside God’s will.
Sometimes God allows a road to become difficult because there is something He wants to develop in us before we arrive.
Hope Is Something We Can Choose to Remember
Lamentations 3:21–22, 24–27
Then comes one of the most beautiful turns in Lamentations:
“Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.”
The author’s circumstances hadn’t suddenly changed.
His remembrance changed.
He deliberately brought God’s character back into view.
That feels particularly important in seasons of waiting and rebuilding. Whether we are waiting for a business to grow, clarity about purpose, restoration in relationships, healing, provision, an answered prayer or simply evidence that things are moving again, circumstances can become louder than what we know about God.
The author teaches us to remember.
God is faithful.
God is merciful.
God is good to those who depend on Him.
And then comes this instruction:
“So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.”
Quiet waiting doesn’t mean passive waiting. It means refusing to let anxiety become our master while we continue doing what God has placed before us.
I am learning that there is a kind of spiritual maturity that says:
I don’t have to force what God has promised to bring about.
I can pray. I can work. I can obey. I can prepare.
And I can wait.
God’s Discipline Is Not the Same as God’s Abandonment
Lamentations 3:31–32
“For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love.”
This verse gives necessary context to the difficult language earlier in the chapter.
God’s discipline of Judah wasn’t evidence that He had stopped loving His people.
His correction had purpose.
There are moments when obedience requires surrendering our preferences, confronting uncomfortable truths, changing direction or allowing God to remove things we thought we needed.
But correction isn’t rejection.
For believers today, this is a reminder not to waste seasons of discipline. Let God teach you early. Let Him correct your character, priorities, relationships, leadership and decisions.
The earlier we learn to submit to Him, the less energy we spend fighting the One who sees the entire road.
God Can Hear You From the Bottom of the Pit
Lamentations 3:55–58
Later, the author remembers:
“But I called on your name, Lord, from deep within the pit… Yes, you came when I called; you told me, ‘Do not fear.’”
I love that he didn’t have to climb out of the pit before God responded.
God met him there.
There will be seasons when our prayers aren’t polished. Sometimes all we have is, “Lord, help me.”
And He hears.
Perhaps you are rebuilding something today—your confidence, finances, marriage, health, business, faith or vision for your future.
Call Him from there.
God doesn’t require you to reach the other side before He becomes your Defender.
Jeremiah could eventually say:
“Lord, you have come to my defense; you have redeemed my life.”
Obedience Matters More Than We Sometimes Realise
Lamentations 4:2, 12–13
One verse in Lamentations 4 particularly amazed me:
“Not a king in all the earth—no one in all the world—would have believed that an enemy could march through the gates of Jerusalem.”
Jerusalem seemed almost untouchable.
Yet the next verse explains that its devastation came in the context of deep sin, including corruption among its spiritual leaders.
This passage isn’t a blanket promise that nothing painful can ever happen to an obedient believer—Scripture gives us many examples of faithful people who suffered despite their obedience.
But it does reinforce something important: we should never mistake God’s blessings, protection or past victories for permission to live outside His ways.
Our security ultimately isn’t in reputation, money, connections, businesses, titles, marriages, institutions or what has worked before.
Our confidence is in God.
That makes obedience precious.
It also speaks powerfully to leadership. The sins mentioned weren’t only among the people—they were among prophets and priests.
Leadership carries responsibility.
Whether we are leading a family, company, ministry, team or community, our private choices can have public consequences. Integrity matters.
“Lord, Remember Us”
Lamentations 5:1, 19–20
The final chapter begins:
“Lord, remember what has happened to us.”
And toward the end:
“But Lord, you remain the same forever! Your throne continues from generation to generation.”
What struck me is that after everything Judah had experienced, they still understood where restoration had to come from.
God had to remember them.
Biblically, asking God to “remember” isn’t suggesting that He has literally forgotten. It is a plea for God to turn toward His people and act according to His covenant mercy.
Their circumstances had changed dramatically.
God hadn’t.
His throne remained.
And that is such a comforting truth for unstable seasons.
Businesses change. Relationships go through seasons. Bodies change. Plans change. People change. Opportunities appear and disappear.
But God’s throne continues from generation to generation.
So when we don’t know what happens next, we can pray:
“Lord, remember me. See me. Restore me. Lead me again.”
Practical Takeaways From Lamentations 3–5
- Don’t automatically interpret a difficult road as the wrong road. Ask God what He may be doing through it.
- Remember before you react. Deliberately remind yourself of God’s faithfulness when circumstances tempt you toward hopelessness.
- Wait without becoming passive. Pray, prepare, work, obey—and leave the outcome with God.
- Receive God’s correction. Discipline can be evidence of His commitment to our growth, not His abandonment.
- Call on God from the pit. You don’t have to fix everything before coming to Him.
- Never become casual about obedience. God’s grace isn’t permission to ignore His ways.
- Lead with integrity. Our choices can affect people beyond ourselves.
- Remember who remains unchanged. When everything else feels uncertain, God’s throne is still established.
Conclusion: The God of the Straight Road Is Also God of the Crooked One
Lamentations 3–5 doesn’t give us a shallow picture of hope.
Jeremiah experienced grief. Jerusalem experienced devastating consequences. There were prayers that seemed unanswered and roads that seemed deliberately blocked.
And still:
“Yet I still dare to hope.”
Perhaps that’s the invitation for me in this season too.
To keep hoping when I don’t understand the route.
To keep obeying when waiting feels long.
To allow God to discipline and develop me.
To remember that the God who can make crooked places straight can also use a crooked road to accomplish something in me.
And ultimately, to know that my hope isn’t in how quickly my circumstances change.
My hope is in the God who never does.
Prayer
Father, thank You because Your faithful love never ends and Your mercies never cease. Help me trust You when You make the road straight and when You allow it to feel crooked.
Give me discernment to recognise Your hand in every season. Teach me not to fight the lessons You are using to mature me. Where I need correction, give me humility to receive it. Where I need patience, teach me to wait quietly for You. Where I need courage, remind me that You are near.
Lord, help me walk in obedience and integrity in my marriage, work, business, relationships, leadership, health, purpose and every responsibility You have entrusted to me.
When I find myself in a pit, remind me to call Your name. When circumstances tempt me to lose hope, help me remember Your character.
Remember me, Lord. Remember Your promises concerning my life. Restore what needs restoration, redirect what needs redirecting and redeem every season for Your glory.
You remain the same forever, and Your throne continues from generation to generation.
Therefore, I will hope in You.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Candid Christian 
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