Overview of: LamentationsToday's Reading:
Lamentations 3:1-40
"Sorrow and Hope"
Focus Verses: Lam. 3:17-24
17 I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18 So I say, "My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the LORD." 19 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. 20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. 21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."
Insight:
The book of Lamentations is typically attributed to the prophet Jeremiah. It is a song of lament over the destruction of Jerusalem. It is also a song of hope, as the prophet expresses his faith in God's great love and faithfulness.
Though the splendor and prosperity of Jerusalem were gone, the prophet believed in the possibility of a new morning because he believed in the compassion and goodness of God. While the prophet was downcast, and lamented the affliction and bitterness of Israel's condition, he also trusted God and waited on God to heal and restore.
Response and Action:
If the circumstances of today are difficult and disheartening, I will still put my trust in God. I believe in God's great faithfulness and compassion. Because I believe in God's mercy, I have hope for my future. Because of God's unfailing love, every new morning brings the possibility of new opportunity and blessing. I will wait upon the Lord.
O God, on my bed I remember you. I think of you in the watches of night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you. Your right hand upholds me. Great is your faithfulness, O God, my Father. You never change and your compassion never fails. Give me strength for today, and hope for tomorrow. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.
Proverb for Today: Prov. 21:30
"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD."
New Testament for Today: Hebrews 10:23
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Recommended Reading:
The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out
by Brennan Manning
