SCRIPTURE: Lamentations 3
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
At the center of this extended song of lament we have these powerful, memorable words of hope and confidence – known to us today through the hymn ‘Great Is Thy Faithfulness’.
In the midst of darkness and despair, through horrible suffering and sadness, the author still manages to look up and express hope.
No matter what he sees or experiences, it is nothing compared to the compassion and faithfulness of God, renewed every day!
Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. [John 12:44-46]
Jesus assures His followers that they can also have this amazing hope, and that it can also transform their darkness with light.
No one who believes in God and His messiah need stay in the darkness.
Jeremiah was experiencing darkness and despair when he wrote these Lamentations, but he did not need to stay in the darkness.
By choosing to focus on God rather than evil, by choosing to value the worth of God’s compassion as greater than the worth of the world’s evil, he is able to rise above his circumstances and stand firm, despite all that is crashing around him.
Do I has this kind of hope?
Do I choose to bring to mind the compassion of God, and thereby reduce the weight of the miseries of this world?
By trusting in God, and in Jesus, we are able to see light in the darkness, hope in despair.
We do not need to stay in darkness – but the way out requires an affirmation of faith.
Yes, I am aware of the misery, but I call God’s goodness to mind, and I have hope!
With boldness I declare (whether I see it or feel it or even believe it or not) great is Your faithfulness, and Your mercies are new every morning.
As I go through my daily struggles, what do I call to mind, what do I think about?
Where I set my mind will make the difference between being in light or darkness.
I choose to not stay in darkness but to experience God’s light – by trusting Jesus!
PRAYER:
Lord, my faith is weak, and doubts assault my mind all the time. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of Your great love I am not consumed, for Your compassions never fail.
This reading certainly is a lament. Nothing is right for the writer. It is all darkness and despair, suffering and trials, cut off from God. He is the ridicule of those around him. What more could go wrong?
In his misery he remembers that man receives what he deserves because he is sinful, but he is not consumed because of God’s love. His compassions are are renewed every morning, because God is faithful and I must be too. I need to wait upon the Lord. I need to seek His face each day. He is the Rock, my Portion, my Helper. I need to diligently seek Him always – in the good times and in the bad. His face will I seek. From out of the depths Lord I cry to Thee. Lord hear my cry. Great is Your faithfulness. Open my eyes Lord that I see You this day. Today God Is First.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Refrain
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Refrain
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!