A Ray of Hope Lamentations 3:1-66 Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD. And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline: Let them sit alone in silence beneath the LORDs demands.Let them lie face down in the dust, for there may be hope at last. Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them and accept the insults of their enemies. For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow. (Lamentations 3:21-33) In Jeremiahs darkest moment, his hope was strengthened with this assurance: God had been faithful and would continue to be faithful. As he mentioned: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease (3:22). Jeremiah saw Gods judgment and Gods steadfast love. In the time of judgment Jeremiah could still cling to Gods love, just as in times of prosperity he had warned of Gods judgment. He knew about Gods faithfulness from personal experience. God had promised that punishment would follow disobedience, and it did. But God also had promised future restoration and blessing, and Jeremiah knew that God would keep that promise also. Trusting in Gods faithfulness day by day makes us confident in his great promises for the future. To submit . . . to the yoke of his discipline (3:27) means to willingly come under Gods discipline and learn what he wants to teach. This involves several important factors: (1) silent reflection on what God wants, (2) repentant humility, (3) self-control in the face of adversity, and (4) confident patience, depending on the divine Teacher to bring about loving lessons in our lives. God has several long-term and short-term lessons for you right now. Are you doing your homework?
Posted on: Mon, 02 Jun 2014 10:54:09 +0000
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