December 3 - Lamentations 3:21-23

Sometimes we enter the Advent season not with joy and peace, but with despair and grief. When Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations, he was witnessing the destruction of the city and the people that he loved. In Lamentations 3:1-18, he gives vivid details of the pain and turmoil that he personally has experienced. And it feels like God has turned against him. Have you ever felt like this? 

And yet despite his circumstances, Jeremiah found hope in the character of God. He knew that God was in control and would be faithful to His word. Jeremiah pressed into God in the midst of his despair. In verses 19-20, he says “I remember my affliction and it’s bitter beyond words. I remember it well and my soul is downcast within me.”

But then he reminds himself of the truth: “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” (vv. 21-23). 

It is so important to press into God’s Word and God’s family during times of deep grief and suffering, not pull away. We need brothers and sisters to come alongside us, grieve with us, and then remind us of the truth of who God is: He is sovereign, He is merciful, and He is faithful. Therefore we have hope.