By Campus Missionary Katie Boltwood: The first half of the passage is Jeremiah pleading to God to remember him. He has walked away from the Lord and now is begging the Lord to release Him from the pain that he's going through. He understands that it was his own fault in walking away and distancing himself from God. The second half of the passage is what the Lord promises to not only Jeremiah but to anyone that finds himself becoming distant from the Lord. However, I like seeing/reading how in the OT the Jews witness a wrathful and punishing God. Jeremiah was going through a rough spot when he was away on sinful vaca. Yet, he knows what it feels like when he is close with the Lord (verse 16). Now, we might not be punished in the same manner as the people in the OT (thank you Jesus!), but we definitely feel pain and hardship when we separate ourselves from the Lord. Life doesn't seem to have a purpose or we cannot identify the "why's" to certain events. But when we are close in mind, body, and soul to the Lord then we are filled with His grave and the promises He gives.