On the one hand, this plea (that the Lord would “remember” and “look”) shows that the Lord's merciful attention is not something that can be taken for granted. Jerusalem’s whole situation, with the temple and city lying in ruins, showed that she was now under the Lord’s curse. Moreover, the Lord had told Jeremiah before that he would not listen anymore to prayer on behalf of his people (Jeremiah 7:16; Jeremiah 11:14; Jeremiah 14:11).

On the other hand, this plea also shows that the Lord is not a distant God, but a living and merciful God who can be moved by the prayers of his people. In verses 2–8, Jeremiah brings before God the situation of his people, in the hope that God may decide to give mercy. From his example we learn that a prayer of supplication may (and even should) contain a detailed description of our misery and need. Our God wants us to bring our complete situation (or the situation of others) to him, spreading it out before him in expectation.