Lately I’ve really wished I could talk to my grandparents. They’re with the Lord now, but I would love to hear their perspective on what’s happening in our world. The current global turmoil and uncertainty are unlike anything I’ve seen in my lifetime, and I wonder if my grandparents would offer words of comfort or wisdom from their experience during difficult times like the Great Depression and World War II.
Even though I miss hearing my grandparents’ wisdom, I do have God’s Word. For the next few weeks, we’ll be encouraged by verses from Lamentations 3. The author of Lamentations (probably Jeremiah) lived through a time even more tumultuous than our own. His homeland of Judah had been invaded and conquered, his people had been taken into exile, and his place of worship had been destroyed.
In the midst of his extended lament to the Lord, we find these words of hope:
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end . . .” (Lamentations 3:21-22)
The author of Lamentations reminded himself of the truth about God, and it filled him with hope even when his circumstances seemed hopeless. His future was uncertain, but he found comfort knowing that God’s steadfast love and mercy would never end.
When our troubles seem never-ending and our future is uncertain, we still have hope. There’s something that will last even longer than this pandemic: the steadfast love and mercy of God.
Sometimes I try to imagine what will happen in our world next week or next month or next year, and I grow anxious. I struggle with this, because I want to be prepared and plan for every possibility. But God is asking me to trust Him for today and not worry about tomorrow. All our tomorrows are resting securely in His hands.
We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but we know our faithful God will be with us. We can face the uncertainty in our world with confidence that our troubles will never outlast God’s steadfast love and mercy.
No matter what you face this week, God’s mercies will never come to an end.
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[…] These verses help me shift my perspective from overwhelm and discouragement to confidence and hope. Last week we looked at Lamentations 3:21-22, and today we’ll focus on the next verse. (I’ve included last […]