Lam 5:19    You, O LORD, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation.

  

This is a statement of utmost faith. Is it one that you and I can declare on a daily basis? It is in fact a statement of incredible faith because of where it comes. Lamentations is just that, a lament over the destroyed Jerusalem. Even the very first verse conveys it: “How deserted lies the city, once so full of people!” That was the state of the city. It was now a ruin, an empty, deserted ruin where silence now reigned instead of the hustle and bustle of a vibrant city. Imagine London or New York or Singapore after some form of catastrophe. There's nothing left standing that is probably higher than six feet. There is no sound, no people. it is a picture of utter devastation.

 

It is in the light of this state of affairs that the prophet makes this declaration. He has, in this chapter, just recounted the awful things that had happened to them but then he addresses the Lord: “You, O LORD, reign forever.” The unknowing might have considered this just a terrible disaster, one of the things that happen in a Fallen World, but the prophet sees it as the work of God who reigns on high.

From the perspective of time we know why it happened and what eventually happened but for the moment, it is a time of desolation. Here's the point: Jerusalem fell for a very clear reason, the constant rejection of God by His people. Things happen in this world either by direct action of God or simply because we live in a Fallen World where things go wrong, but God never ceases to rule over all things, working out His purposes. In the time of your desolation, can you still believe that God reigns and is still Lord over your situation and has plans and purposes to bless you? (Rom 8:28) We may not understand it and we may only feel anguish for the moment, but the truth is that He is still Lord and still there for us.