Read: Song of Solomon 1:1–4 & Lamentations 1:1–6

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine, your anointing oils are fragrant, your name is perfume poured out; therefore the maidens love you. Song of Solomon 1:2–3

How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! Lamentations 1:1a

There are plenty of people who doubt the truth of the Bible. They question its historicity, and they call into question its miraculous claims. However, the Bible is a supremely truthful and honest book. It does not shy away from the devastating tragedy of life, nor does it mute the exuberant passions that human beings have for one another. One book of the Bible can be filled with a vigorous lust for life, while the next book can tap into the deep lament of communal misfortune. No topic is off limits in the Bible, and stories that are too painful to tell are unhesitatingly shared. The Bible is not religious propaganda that attempts to get people to believe outrageous claims . . . the Bible is a living testimony to the challenges and joys of life and the God who has chosen to be with us in and through it all. Life is love and lament intertwined, with God calling us forward into ever more faithful ways of being in relationship. The Bible presents life as it is, and it has a way of opening up for us life as it could be.

What was a high point and a low point of your last week?

Lord, I thank you that the Bible is such an honest book. It is far more faithful than preachers who encourage me to believe in five steps to fulfillment, or seven steps for success, or ten steps to triumphant living. The Bible tells us that life can be blissful in one moment and crushingly disappointing in the next. The Bible attests to the joys and challenges of life and Your desire to experience every moment of it with us. Thank You for that witness…and for Your presence. In Jesus’ name, I pray. AMEN.