Jeremiah had a problem.  Life was hard, and was getting harder.  He had prayed, but got no answer.  So he was struggling with the fairness of life.  Why was God treating him this way?  He really needed some help, but he didn't know where to turn.  Finally, he cast himself back on God, because there was no place else to go. It was then that he spoke of his unceasing tears "till the Lord look down."

    There are two things involved in this statement that might help us when we face the same problem.

    First, he acknowledged things might not change for a while.  He had suffered long, but he knew he might suffer longer.  When he says his tears will flow "till the Lord look down" he is saying he will wait, no matter how long it takes.

    Second, he is expressing his faith in God.  Even though the wait may be long, relief will come.  The Lord will look down and see.  So the waiting is made bearable because of the certainty of God's action on his behalf.

    There are times when we might feel this way.  Sickness may come and stay.  Or some problem may trouble us, pressing in on our spirit night and day. Things may multiply and grow worse.  We and others may pray, but no answer comes.  We might feel as Jeremiah did when he said, "Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through." (Lam.3:44).  We might be ready to give up.  But God will not let us quit, so we have to cast ourselves back on Him.

    In such a time, we need to do as the text suggests:  wait and trust.

    Waiting is never easy.  It is even harder when we are hurting badly.  But it is often necessary.  If we could see the whole picture, we might find it easier to wait.  But we can quietly wait even though we cannot see, because we believe God loves us and moves always for our good and His glory.

    Trusting is hard also.  But experience helps.  Because God has helped us in the past, we can hope for His help in the future.  If we count our blessings and see what God has done, we can be encouraged to trust Him to bless us once again.

    As Jeremiah said, “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lam.3:26).

    When times are tough, let’s wait and trust, “till the Lord look down.”