Lamentations 3:21-23 - Hope Springs from Gods Faithful Love and Compassion Every Morning.
Lamentations 3:21-23 (NKJV) 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.
Lamentations 3:21-23 (TNIV) Yet this I call
to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of
the Lords great love we are not consumed, for
his compassions never fail. They are new every
morning; great is your faithfulness.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Rick and I get up early, and we're often
treated to a sunrise casting its glow along the
horizon. Early evening brings the sunset. Each
winter, winds strip our oak of its broad leaves, so
we can see the full blaze of glory from our
deck.
Colors, so many colors. Sunrise often
brings pinks, lavenders, and pale yellows that give
way to pale blue above a sea of white cotton
clouds. By five o'clock, the sun is going down. One
night, the sky was molten hot red with streaks of
fiery orange and gold. Another night, the clouds
turned lavender and pink, then purple. When the sun
disappeared, the sky turned indigo, then black with
diamond dust tossed onto heavenly canvas.
Sunrise, sunset. Both amaze us. Each day
is different, unique, rich in variant hues,
with swirls of gauzy cloud designs that change
shape and color by the minute - all painted by the
Artist as we watch in awe.
I have come to see these times of
incredible beauty as God's daily greetings, a reminder
that He loves us and is ever present. We are
never alone. We can speak with Him anytime, day or
night. Sunrise is God's "Good morning." I can look
forward to the day, knowing He will guide and
protect me. As Scripture tells us, "His mercies
begin afresh each morning." What a wonderful
promise! Yesterday's mistakes don't carry over. Today
is a new beginning, and God can open my eyes to
new friends, possibilities, opportunities. And
then, in the evening as the sun goes down in all
its glory, God's "Good night" reassures me that
I am in His hand and on His heart, and He
watches over me as I sleep. Morning, evening, or in
the darkest stretches of the night, He is never
off duty. [Earth Psalms by Francine Rivers]
COMMENTARY
Emotional exhaustion isnt new. Its
also not something foreign to the Bible. Just
read the book of Lamentations.
When Jeremiah wrote the book, Jerusalem
had been captured. The Israelites were in exile.
Everything Jeremiah held sacred had been destroyed.
He was emotionally exhausted, and for an
entire book of the Bible, Jeremiah releases his
frustrations and expresses his emotions to God.
In the midst of these complaints, he
refocuses on God. He writes, Yet I still dare to
hope when I remember this (Lamentations 3:21
NLT).
What brought Jeremiah hope during this
very difficult time? He answers immediately:
The Lords kindness never fails! If
he had not been merciful, we would have been
destroyed. The Lord can always be trusted to show mercy
each morning. Deep in my heart I say, The Lord
is all I need; I can depend on him!
(Lamentations 3:22-24 CEV).
Jeremiah refocuses on five truths about
God that helped to refuel him in the midst of
his exhaustion.
He remembers:
Gods Steadfast love
Gods Unfailing mercy
Gods Great faithfulness
God is Always kind
God is my Real hope
When life overwhelms you, dont focus
on your problems. Dont give in to despair.
Focus your attention on God himself.
A lot of people reach for chocolate when
theyre emotionally exhausted. But it cant truly
comfort you.
But notice the acronym above. Itll
help you remember this truth. This is the kind of
SUGAR youll need in order to be refueled. You
wont get a sugar high through it. It wont make
you gain weight. It wont make you more
depressed.
Build your life around those character
traits of God, and youll be ready for whatever
setback comes your way. [Daily Devotional by Rick
Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
ILLUSTRATION
Through Christ, God has accepted you.
Think about what this means. You cannot keep
people from rejecting you. But you can keep
rejections from enraging you.
Rejections are like speed bumps on the
road. They come with the journey. Youre going
to get cut, dished, dropped, and kicked around.
You cannot keep people from rejecting you. But
you can keep rejections from enraging you. How?
By letting his acceptance compensate for their
rejection.
Think of it this way. Suppose you dwell
in a high-rise apartment. On the window sill of
your room is a solitary daisy. This morning you
picked the daisy and pinned it on your lapel. Since
you have only one plant, this is a big event and
a special daisy.
But as soon as youre out the door,
people start picking petals off your daisy. Someone
snags your subway seat. Petal picked. Youre
blamed for the bad report of a coworker. Three
petals. The promotion is given to someone with less
experience but USC water polo looks. More petals. By
the end of the day, youre down to one. Woe be
to the soul who dares to draw near it. Youre
only one petal-snatching away from a blowup.
What if the scenario was altered
slightly? Lets add one character. The kind man in
the apartment next door runs a flower shop on
the corner. Every night on the way home he stops
at your place with a fresh, undeserved, yet
irresistible bouquet. These are not leftover flowers.
They are top-of-the-line arrangements. You
dont know why he thinks so highly of you, but you
arent complaining. Because of him, your apartment
has a sweet fragrance, and your step has a happy
bounce. Let someone mess with your flower, and
youve got a basketful to replace it!
The difference is huge. And the
interpretation is obvious.
God will load your world with flowers. He
hand-delivers a bouquet to your door every day. Open it!
Take them! Then, when rejections come, you
wont be left short-petaled.
God can help you get rid of your anger.
He made galaxies no one has ever seen and dug
canyons we have yet to find. The LORD heals
all your diseases (Ps. 103:2"3 NIV). Do you
think among those diseases might be the affliction
of anger?
Do you think God could heal your angry
heart?
Do you want him to? This is not a trick
question. He asks the same question of you that he
asked of the invalid: Do you want to be
well? (John 5:6). Not everyone does. You may be
addicted to anger. You may be a rage junkie. Anger
may be part of your identity. But if you want
him to, he can change your identity. Do you want
him to do so?
Do you have a better option? Like moving
to a rejection-free zone? If so, enjoy your
life on your desert island.
Take the flowers. Receive from him so you
can love or at least put up with others. [Max
Lucado Daily Devotional at maxlucado.com]
TESTIMONY
Once you begin to know God better, you
will change. A vibrant and intimate relationship
with God will empower you to heal from the hurts
from your past, forgive what seems unforgivable,
and change what seems unchangeable about
yourself. Walking with God will break the power of
materialism in your life and lead you to a radically
generous life.
Instead of living for yourself and for
the moment, you'll live for Christ and for
eternity. Your heart will begin to break for the same
things that cause God's heart to break. You'll
serve him faithfully as part of the body of
Christ, the church. The old temptations will lose
most of their appeal, and you will be compelled
to obey God because of how much you love him,
because you know how much he's done for you.
Instead of living in anxiety and fear,
you'll experience peace, grace, and trust. The more
you get to know God, the more you will become
excited about sharing your faith with others, and
the less concerned you'll become about fitting
in with those around you. Knowing God will make
you ache to tell others what he's doing in your
life.
Draw closer to God today. Your life will
never be the same.
I'm a work in progress, Lord, and I'm so
grateful for the way you are transforming my life.
Thank you for changing me and giving me the power
to live for you. [Daily Power by Craig
Groeschel]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
My steadfast love never ceases, My
mercies never come to an end; they are new every
morning. I know how desperately you want to believe
this - and how much you are struggling to do so.
Today, the only things that seem endless are your
problems and your pain. But I am here - tenderly
present - ready to help you get safely through this
day. Believing this truth can make the difference
between coping and giving up in despair.
Some days, when things are going
reasonably well, it is easy to trust in My steadfast
Love. But when new, unexpected problems strike,
trusting Me takes much more effort. At such times it
can help to remember that you receive new
mercies every morning. When you are getting dressed,
recall that I have clothed you in garments of
salvation. Because you wear My robe of righteousness,
you are on your way to heaven! This is an
incredible act of mercy - snatching you from the jaws
of hell and putting you on the path to Glory.
Nothing you face today can compare with this
mercy-gift of eternal Life! (Lam. 3:22, 23; Isa. 61:10;
John 3:16) [Jesus Today by Sarah Young]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2015/20151115-2058.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
EXCELLENT VIDEO SERIES ON 28 REVELATIONS OF
JESUS
1st of 28: Divine Dining:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_7j1QIKqmY
