NOVEMBER 14, 2014
Heartbreak
And Hope
Read: Lamentations
3:1-6, 16-25
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him. —Lamentations 3:25
When American country
singer George Jones died at the age of 81, his fans remembered his remarkable
voice and his hard life and personal struggles. While many of his songs
reflected his own despair and longing, it was the way he sang them that touched
people deeply. Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot said, “His voice was made
for conveying heartbreak.”
The book of
Lamentations records Jeremiah’s anguish over the nation of Judah’s stubborn
refusal to follow God. Often called “the weeping prophet,” he witnessed the
destruction of Jerusalem and saw his people carried into captivity. He wandered
the streets of the city, overwhelmed by grief (Lam. 1:1-5).
Yet, in Jeremiah’s
darkest hour, he said, “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail
not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (3:21-23).
Whether we suffer for
our own choices or from those of others, despair may threaten to overwhelm us.
When all seems lost, we can cling to the Lord’s faithfulness. “‘The Lord is my
portion,’ says my soul. ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’” (v.24).
I’m thankful for Your faithfulness, Father,
even
in the times when I am unfaithful. Help me to
remember, like Jeremiah, that my hope comes
from You, not from my circumstances.
The
anchor of God’s faithfulness holds firm in the strongest storms.
Insight
The International
Standard Bible Encyclopedia says: “Jeremiah was called by the Lord to the
office of a prophet while still a youth (1:6) about 20 years of age. . . . At
first he probably lived in Anathoth, and put in his appearance publicly in
Jerusalem only on the occasion of the great festivals; later he lived in
Jerusalem, and was there during the terrible times of the siege and the
destruction of the city.”
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012