Lamentations 3:24 - Hope in Jesus; Our Divine Inheritance.
Lamentations 3:24 (NIV) I say to myself,
The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait
for him.
Lamentations 3:24 (NLT) I say to myself,
The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will
hope in him!
INTRODUCTION
The Man Who Has Seen Affliction
(Lamentations 3)
Its not very impressive when a person
who has known nothing but blessing tries to
comfort a sufferer. How can the rich understand
poverty? How can the child whose parents loved him
understand the abused? How can the woman with a husband
and children understand the widows loss, or
the divorcees pain? Its far more
meaningful when we hear words of comfort from a person
we can identify with: from a fellow sufferer.
This is why the authors words in
Lamentations 3 are so powerful. He immediately identified
himself as the man who has seen affliction.
Here was someone who spoke about suffering from
firsthand experience. To make sure we know he
understood, he even went on to show how extreme his
suffering had been. Then, when we realize that here is
an authority, a person who can fully identify
with us, he said, Yet this I call to mind and
therefore I have hope: because of the LORDs great
love we are not consumed (vv. 21"22).
The author of Lamentations would
understand whatever suffering you or I are called to
experience. And after listening to our complaint, he
would speak bluntly to us, and say that Gods
compassions never fail. He would remind us, They
are new every morning, and would invite us to
praise the LORD, telling God, great is Your
faithfulness.
The author, as a man who has seen
affliction, would give us one more piece of advice. He
would tell us to say to ourselves, as he did when
the pain was greatest, The LORD is my
portion; therefore I will wait for Him.
As we wait in faith, we will be sustained
by the conviction that sustained Jeremiah. We
too know, despite everything, that the LORD
is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the
one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD (vv. 25"26).
[The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
COMMENTARY PEARLS
My father was a gifted talker who
relished sharing life lessons and telling jokes. At
family or social events, a crowd of attentive
listeners would gather at his feet. He wasnt a
writer, but he could weave oratorical yarns that
would make you laugh out loud.
One day I visited my father in his new
home with shiny new appliances and a new car in
the driveway, and he made it clear that he had
no inheritance for me. Before I leave
here, he said, slapping a stack of bills against
his marble table, I intend to spend every
dollar I ever made.
This was my father talking, the jokester,
so I assumed he was kidding. After all, by the
time he took ill, Daddy was a God-fearing
Bible-thumper who could quote Scripture from memory from
Genesis to Revelation. He knew Proverbs 13:22: A
good man leaves an inheritance to his
childrens children. (NKJV)
Ha! It was no joke. When he died, he left
just enough money to bury him and pay for the
repast. I expected a house, a car, or a sizable
check, but his shiny new possessions were returned
to his creditors. And when the executor of my
fathers estate said there was nothing for me, I was
angry. After Id stewed for several weeks, Jesus
spoke to my heart from Lamentations 3:24. I
realized that the Lord is my portion and having a
relationship with Him surpasses any gift that could come
from man. I came to understand that Jesus is my
inheritance. My abundance is in Him. by Alice Thompson
Faith Step: What heirloom do you want to
leave to a loved one? Dont delay. Share it
today. [Mornings With Jesus 2020 Devotional by
Guideposts and Zondervan]
My life had been going so well. I had
become a Christian in college and a missionary
after that. I had married a pastor, and we adopted
two little girls. Then things began unraveling.
My pastor-husband had an affair and left me
with a three-year-old and a nine-month-old
daughter with special needs and a chronic illness
that kept getting worse. I couldn't make the rent
in Chicago, so I didn't think twice about
taking a new job"a lectureship at the University
of Oklahoma. The salary would cover rent, basic
needs, and tuition so I could get my Ph.D. I loaded
the girls into a U-Haul truck and made the trip
to the university campus, only to discover that
the school had canceled all lectureships. I had
no job.
At that moment, Lamentations was the
perfect fit as I joined Jeremiah to rant and rave
against the unfairness of life. But then I came to
3:21. Dare I hope? Would his mercies really never
cease?
With my U-Haul still loaded, the girls at
the nearest day-care center, and no job, I sat
on the university's curb and remembered the
miracle of finding Christ, seeing my family come to
Christ, adopting my girls, the trees and oceans I'd
sat by, knowing God was there. And I knew"God
was still there. So was compassion.
I ended up calling every college and
school in the phone book and actually piecing
together enough teaching jobs to stay in Okla-homa.
And I wrote"book after book, drawing often on
specific memories of God's faithfulness.
Dandi Daley Mackall is the award-winning
author of more than four hundred books for children
and adults, including Maggie's Story, Love
Rules, Eva Underground, Larger-Than-Life Lara, and
the best-selling teen series Winnie the Horse
Gentler. [The One Year Bible Live Verse Devotional]
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Waiting on Me means directing your
attention to Me in hopeful anticipation of what I will
do. It entails trusting Me with every fiber of
your being, instead of trying to figure things
out yourself. Waiting on Me is the way I
designed you to live: all day, every day. I created
you to stay conscious of Me as you go about your
daily duties.
I have promised many blessings to those
who wait on Me: renewed strength, living above
one's circumstances, resurgence of hope, awareness
of My continual Presence. Waiting on Me enables
you to glorify Me by living in deep dependence
on Me, ready to do My will. It also helps you
to enjoy Me; in My Presence is fullness of Joy.
(Lam. 3:24-26; Isa. 40:31; Psa. 16:11) [Jesus
Calling by Sarah Young]
As you look into the day that stretches
out before you, you see many choice-points along
the way. The myriad possibilities these choices
present can confuse you. Draw your mind back to the
threshold of this day, where I stand beside you,
lovingly preparing you for what is ahead.
You must make your choices one at a time,
since each is contingent upon the decision that
precedes it. Instead of trying to create a mental map
of your path through this day, focus on My
loving Presence with you. I will equip you as you
go, so that you can handle whatever comes your
way. Trust Me to supply what you need when you
need it. (Lam. 3:22-26; Psa. 34:8) [Jesus Calling
by Sarah Young]
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
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio (currently live):
https://bible.awr.org/the-warning/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug
Batchelor:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmGvdtMCf1aJTiC59-lPtuUMEq_uEn0BK
