The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words.
Lamentations 3: 19-24
I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.
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!”
I know several families who are experiencing difficult times this year as the holidays approach and I think Jeremiah’s lament is a helpful reminder of God’s faithfulness even in a crisis.
One of the pastor podcasts Patrina and I listen to regularly is Alistair Begg’s Truth for Life and during a sermon last week, he delivered the following observation regarding the foundation of true thanksgiving.
“Even when our voices are choked with tears, even when our hearts fail us, when our circumstances frustrate us, when life seems to let us down or does let us down, when we are a disappointment those who love us, yes, and a disappointment to ourselves, we may still find in God’s covenant love, the foundation for joyful worship and thankful praise.”
Alistair Begg
Jeremiah was more than aware of the pain in his life. He saw his people suffer because of their disobedience. He suffered himself as the people rejected his prophetic messages. He said he would “never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope.”
Hope, I think, is essential for a heart that is thankful. Jeremiah’s hope was in the LORD – “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning….I will hope in him!”
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