Daily Devotional | Tough Love

The phrase “tough love” was first popularized by a book of the same name written by Bill Milliken with Char Meredith in 1968. But it was God who originated the concept. It probably feels like the book of Lamentations is mostly about suffering. In reality, its theme is the persistence of God’s love. This is not warm and fuzzy, sentimental kind of love but a love that is firm enough to discipline.

In the first two poems, the primary speaker is daughter Zion, personified as a woman. But we notice that the voice speaking in this third poem is male. He declares: “I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the LORD’s wrath” (v. 1). This voice is the author, presumably Jeremiah himself, who speaks not only as an eyewitness but as a fellow sufferer. The combined use of the first person pronouns (I, me, my) with the divine third person pronouns (he, his) lets us know that Jeremiah identifies with Zion. He is like the one who stumbles in the darkness (vv. 2, 5) or a prisoner who is walled in and chained (v. 7). Jeremiah does not feel like God is listening to his prayers; his way forward seems blocked (vv. 8–9).

Most of us have experienced moments when God seems silent, when the way forward feels unknown and impossible. Jeremiah describes this position of suffering well, because he is experiencing God’s discipline, His tough love. Today, we often hear talk about divine judgment, especially on social media. We even look forward to judgment…of other evildoers. But Jeremiah is expressing a first-hand view of God’s discipline. He feels the weight of it. Disciplinary love is “tough” for those who receive it, but also for the hand that exercises it.