Hope in the Midst of Judgement
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; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:19-23
It is no secret. The people of Judah experienced God’s faithfulness to his warning. If they departed from Him, He would bring judgement upon them. They departed. He destroyed. The Babylonians came in, crushed Jerusalem, ravaged the Temple, and carried the people off into captivity.
The prophet, Jeremiah, grieved with an expression of deep sorrow. Our verses today pick up in the third of five Hebrew alphabet acrostic poems in the book of Lamentations where he cries out and confesses to God in the pain of the consequences of Judah’s sin.
Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the bitterness and the gall. My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me (Lamentations 3:19). Jeremiah acknowledges Judah’s sin and repents. He tells God in verse 18 that his endurance and hope have perished.
The beautiful thing about this book of sorrow is that Jeremiah also highlights God’s faithfulness of hope. Sprinkled all throughout are glimmers of His mercy even in the midst of judgement. If his people would turn to Him in repentance, God would return to them.
In the midst of his depression, Jeremiah changed his focus back to God and found hope again. In verse 21-23, he said, 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; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. It is amazing how Jeremiah marvels at God’s faithfulness even in the midst of consequences.
Sin brings loss, pain, tears our families, lives, and our nations apart. But even when we experience the consequences of our sin, God is right there waiting to extend His mercy. All we need to do is turn to Him, confess, and wrap ourselves in His faithfulness. He loves to show mercy when we are ready to accept it.
Lord, as we begin this new year, help us to reflect, repent, and wrap ourselves in Your faithfulness. Bring to mind what we need to confess and help us to position ourselves to receive your beautiful mercy. In Jesus’ Name.
Johna Clemons
