SCRIPTURE: Lamentation 1-5
“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope…” (Lamentations 3:21)
Amazing words of faith, coming from a person experiencing horrific trauma.
Reading this book of tears, one is surprised to find these nuggets of hope.
It is structured as acrostic verses (the sentences start with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet).
At the centre, chapter three is a triple acrostic.
And at the centre of this (vv.22-42), therefore the centre of this whole song, are words of hope.
In the midst of terrible suffering, no matter how bad things get, there is always hope.
I’m reminded of the the Lord of the Rings, Two Towers, when Sam encourages Frodo not to give up.
He speaks of heroes not giving up in tough time because they were hanging on to something.
Darkness has seemed to reign throughout history, yet believers had held on to hope.
Because in fact, darkness is not reigning, it is desperately fighting for it’s life.
Because Jesus reigns!
The candle of hope keeps burning in our hearts, not matter how dark it gets.
We may sit in the dark, but we look to the east, and wait for the sunrise, the new day coming.
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
Today, I join with Tony in picking a song to capture this hope: Great Is Thy Faithfulness!
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, what makes this song so powerful is that it was sung while in a dark, dark place. Help me to sing this song when I am at my worst, clinging to You and Your best!