Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts as well as our hands to God in heaven.

So said the prophet Jeremiah in Lamentations 3:40–41.

In these brief words Jeremiah outlined the path to spiritual healing and wholeness:

Recognize and confess our faults and weakness – test and examine our ways

Turn to God, seeking God’s mercy and help – return to the Lord

Don’t just go through the motions; truly lift your heart in faith! – let us lift up our hearts as well as our hands to God in heaven

The promise is that we will receive God’s saving grace. Jeremiah went on to testify: You have taken up my cause, O Lord, You have redeemed my life. (Lamentations 3:58)

Sunday’s Scripture Reading:
Lamentations 3:40–41,55–58

About the Author

Dr. David A. Palmer has been the senior pastor at the United Methodist Church of Kent since 1995. He has a B.A. from Wittenberg University, a Master of Divinity from Duke University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary. A native of Wooster, Ohio, he has served three other churches in east Ohio before coming to Kent. He and his wife, Mavis, have three children.