Episode Overview

Theme:
In this episode of The Bible in a Year (Day 256: Hard Seasons), Fr. Mike Schmitz guides listeners through some of the most harrowing and somber passages in the Bible: Jeremiah 51, Lamentations 4 and 5, and Proverbs 18:9-12. The focus is on God's judgment upon Babylon, the deep suffering of Jerusalem during its siege, and a meditation on enduring faith and hope in the darkest of human experiences.

Fr. Mike reflects deeply on the reality of suffering, the destructive consequences of sin, and the mysterious but ever-present mercy of God—even when hope seems lost and all that is left is a tenuous, questioning faith.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Fall and Judgment of Babylon

Scripture: Jeremiah 51

• Babylon, once the "golden cup in the Lord's hand," is now condemned: God will "stir up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon" (00:51).
• The chapter details the consequences faced by Babylon for its guilt and its role in oppressing Israel and Judah.
• The destruction is thorough—military, societal, and spiritual—all that gave Babylon its pride is brought low (02:00).

Insight:
Fr. Mike traces the prophecy’s dual layers:

• An immediate fulfillment in Babylon’s historical fall to the Medo-Persian empire.
• A distant or eschatological fulfillment, which will be echoed later in the Book of Revelation (20:31).

Quote [22:40]:
"Just because God is willing to use people or kingdoms…to bring about his judgment, doesn’t mean that those kings and kingdoms are just. He is just."

2. The Hardest Realities of Human Suffering

Scripture: Lamentations 4 & 5

• Lamentations 4 offers an unblinking look at the horrors suffered in Jerusalem: famine, desperation, loss of dignity and compassion (03:20).
• Even “compassionate women” are driven to cannibalism in their despair—demonstrating how suffering can expose the depths of human frailty (04:35).
• Lamentations 5 is a collective prayer: Israel confesses sin, mourns loss, and pleads for mercy amid devastation (07:12).

Memorable Quote [25:48]:
"It goes on even… suffering has the ability to reform us, suffering has the ability to purify us and make us better, but it also has the ability to reveal the darkness, the brokenness of our own hearts."

Historical Parallel:
Fr. Mike references the historian Josephus, noting that during both the Babylonian and Roman sieges of Jerusalem, the extremity of circumstances pushed even good people to unthinkable acts (27:01).

3. The Mystery of God's Will

• Fr. Mike explores the distinction between God's perfect will and His permissible will (24:20).
  • Perfect will: That we do not sin and live in holiness—life, not destruction.
  • Permissible will: God allows suffering, knowing He can bring about a greater good, even through human evil and free will.

Quote [23:40]:
"For God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. ...God's will, His perfect will for us is that we have life. ... But his permissible will... is what a lot of us experience on a day to day basis."

4. Faith in the Midst of Hard Seasons

• Fr. Mike emphasizes the faith of Jeremiah: even when all seems lost, Jeremiah does not stop speaking with God.
• The end of Lamentations (ch. 5) is not triumphal—it ends with questions, pain, and uncertainty—but the prayer itself is a sign of enduring hope (28:40).

Quote [29:32]:
"I say that Jeremiah still ends the book of Lamentations with hope. Because he doesn't stop talking to God. ... As long as we're talking to God, it means that we still have hope."

• Fr. Mike reassures listeners that even in our worst seasons, hope perseveres if we continue, like Jeremiah, to turn to God, even just to ask "why?"

5. Proverbs Reflection: Work, Wealth, and Humility

Scripture: Proverbs 18:9-12 (13:35)

• Sloth brings destruction ("He who is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys").
• The Lord is a "strong tower"; security is not to be found in wealth or pride, but in humility before God.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the frailty of the human heart:

  • "I know for myself that there are so many times when a situation happens... and I realize that I've just chosen to do something I would never want to choose to do in a million years. And I can decide to say, well, I guess that's who I am. ... Or I can say, okay, that's the truth. But here's the truth of God's heart..." (28:15)

• God’s mercy, despite our brokenness:

  • "I've known you were broken for eternity. And even knowing that, here is God who's chosen to die for us, he's chosen to live for us, he's chosen to give us himself, which is remarkable, which is incredible." (28:30)

• On hope in hard seasons:

  • "Never stop talking to God. Never stop letting him talk to you through his scripture, through his church, in your prayer." (31:10)
  • "I'm praying for you for that day in your life when maybe everything else will be lost except for that hope, that willingness to still talk to the Father and to still let the Father speak to you." (31:25)

Important Timestamps

• 00:04 – Episode introduction and readings overview
• 02:00 – Jeremiah 51: Prophecy and destruction of Babylon
• 03:20 – Lamentations 4: Description of Jerusalem's suffering
• 04:35 – Lamentations 4:10—The extremity of suffering: "the hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children"
• 07:12 – Lamentations 5: Prayer for mercy and confession of sin
• 13:35 – Proverbs 18:9–12: Wisdom on work, wealth, and humility
• 22:40 – Fr. Mike: On God's just judgment and the meaning of prophecy
• 24:20 – On God’s perfect and permissible will
• 27:01 – Suffering reveals depths of human brokenness; historical parallels
• 28:15 – Reflection on human weakness and God’s mercy
• 28:40 – 29:32 – Lamentations ends with hope—even if uncertain, as long as there is dialogue with God
• 31:10–31:25 – Final encouragement and prayer for enduring hope

Summary: Takeaways for Listeners

• The collapse of Babylon serves as both a historical and spiritual warning: God’s justice may use even corrupt powers for His purposes, yet no evil act escapes His ultimate judgment.
• Lamentations forces us to face the darkest parts of human experience—both externally (in history) and internally (in our hearts).
• Suffering, while it can purify, also exposes profound frailty; the response is not despair, but to return to prayer and openness to God's mercy.
• The episode closes with a strong, compassionate encouragement: however hard the season, never abandon honest prayer. Even in doubt or accusation, speaking to God keeps hope alive.
• Daily faithfulness—in Scripture, humility, and prayer—is our surest refuge, not wealth, strength, or even earthly hope.

“As long as we’re talking to God, it means that we still have hope.”
– Fr. Mike Schmitz [29:32]