Song of Songs 4:16 Awake, north wind. Come, south wind! Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread everywhere.

 My garden has often helped me remember God's word. I made this a preface to one of the little videos I make. I am quite proud of it. (This is the avatar of my farm, Mara's Prayer Garden. Come and visit sometime.)

 And I wish I was much like the garden, Solomon is talking of. Have the sweet scent of God's presence be all about. Blown by the Spirit of God. I never know whether I truly make it thus far, but I keep working as much as I keep working my virtual farm to make it a nice place.

May the sweet scent of God's presence be with you always.

Lamentations 3:5 He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.

3 ^[a]I am the man who has seen affliction 
    by the rod of the Lord’s wrath. 
² He has driven me away and made me walk
    in darkness rather than light;
³ indeed, he has turned his hand against me 
    again and again, all day long.

⁴ He has made my skin and my flesh grow old
    and has broken my bones. 
⁵ He has besieged me and surrounded me
    with bitterness and hardship.

Jeremiah complains bitterly to the Lord. Everything seems to be so wrong. If he is a righteous man, why is everybody trying to make him fall?

I have wondered when in pain: Where is God? Why would he let that happen. Sometimes it is my pain, sometimes somebody elses pain. Is God watching me, us, fall, fail, cry, die?

Jeremiah thinks so. He thinks it is God who is sending those things to teach him a lesson. Like Paul said much later: I am the clay in the potters hand. Who am I to complain or even to judge? 

The clay needs to be prepared. It needs to be beaten and kneaded to be useful.

So do we. We need the pain to come back from our sinful ways. To cry out to the Lord.