Find Hope in the Lord During Pain
Daily Old Testament Reading: Lamentations 2-5
Daily Focus Passage: Lamentations 3
The Book of Lamentations was written by the Prophet Jeremiah. The Prophet Jeremiah was known as the Weeping Prophet because of his hardship and the difficult message he declared. The Book of Limitations details the crying out of the people because of the hardship they are facing from captivity. And it is also a book of hope and steadfast pain and the cry for restoration through the steadfast work of the Lord.
Difficulty is a normal part of life. We all face various forms of pain, suffering, and hardship. We often cry out, asking if it is fair, and it occurs. The Prophet Jeremiah calls us to look to the Lord for hope and restoration by trusting in his steadfast love and mercy.
Believers must look and trust in the steadfast love of God when facing hardship. The steadfast love of God reminds us that God's love is not dependent upon our faithfulness but that his love is constant despite the circumstances we face. He works within his will and his ways with eternity in perspective. Thus, he does not depend on what we think or work as good because of his steadfast love for the good of those who love him. His vision is always eternal; thus, his steadfast love does not change in a temporary moment but is based on his eternal character. Instead, we can have hope that he is eternally loving.
The steadfast love of God means, as the Prophet declared, that the Lord offers new mercies every day. This does not mean that we do not face hardship, difficulty, or grief, but instead, it means that he cares for his own. It means that he is constantly working in our lives. When we recognize that his mercy is new every morning, it reminds us that it is more than enough to deal with the sin that plagues us. We must remember that the mercy of God is based on the perspective of eternity.
The children of Israel faced difficulty as they were in exile. They were punished for their sins that existed in their lives and their unfaithfulness to the Lord. Yet the Prophet declared that though the people were facing the punishment of unfaithfulness, the Lord was great in faithfulness and would ultimately keep his word and his promise.
As we journey through life, we will experience moments of pain and grief. Yet we must travel in the hope that the Prophet Jeremiah speaks of as he laments over the people in captivity. We must trust in God's steadfast love, mercy, and goodness as he looks with an eternal perspective. We must strive to trust that his will, his way, is perfect and that though we may not understand it, we can have hope because his mercy is new every morning.
