Adapted from a 2013 Living Room interactive devotional

I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.

Lamentations 3:19-20

Lamentations is a collection of laments, believed to have been written by Jeremiah after the fall of Jerusalem and the burning of the temple. His mood is bleak: his words are dark and angry.

Can you identify with such feelings today? I believe many of you would.

But think back. Try and recall times when, in the middle of your pain, you were able to remember the hope God gives you. This is what happened to Jeremiah. He remembered God’s goodness. Can you remember?

Read his words:

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.

Lamentation 3:21-23

 

Although we are living 2600 years after Jeremiah, I believe these words were meant for us. God ministers to us through those who served him long ago, encouraging us in our troubles. That’s what makes the Bible so precious.

God’s compassion never fails. Look around. Are you seeing his mercies? We have God’s blessings to wake up to…every morning. Ask God to help you see them.

You will remember the wonderful hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness. The words came from this Scripture, written in the midst of pain. I weep almost every time I hear it, not because it’s sad, but because the message is so beautiful.

marja