Lamentations 3:31-33 (NIV) For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. 32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. 33 For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone. Lamentations 3:31-33 (NLT) For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. 32 Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. 33 For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow. COMMENTARY PEARL Trials Will Come Our heavenly Father does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men. He has His purpose in the whirlwind and the storm, in the fire and in the flood. The Lord permits calamities to come to His people to save them from greater dangers. He desires everyone to examine his own heart closely and carefully, and then draw near to God, that God may draw near to him. Our life is in the hands of God. He sees dangers threatening us that we cannot see. He is the Giver of all our blessings; the Provider of all our mercies; the Orderer of all our experiences. He sees the perils that we cannot see. He may permit to come upon His people that which fills their hearts with sadness, because He sees that they need to make straight paths for their feet, lest the lame be turned out of the way. He knows our frame, and remembers that we are dust. Even the very hairs of our head are numbered. He works through natural causes to lead His people to remember that He has not forgotten them, but that He desires them to forsake the way which, if they were permitted to follow unchecked and unreproved, would lead them into great peril. Trials come to us all to lead us to investigate our hearts, to see if they are purified from all that defiles. Constantly the Lord is working for our present and eternal good. Things occur which seem inexplainable, but if we trust in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him, humbling our hearts before Him, He will not permit the enemy to triumph. The Lord will save His people in His own way, by such means and instrumentalities that the glory will be returned to Him. To Him alone belongs the praise. Every soul that is saved must be a partaker with Christ of His sufferings, that he may be a partaker with Him of His glory. How few understand why God subjects them to trial. It is by the trial of our faith that we gain spiritual strength. The Lord seeks to educate His people to lean wholly upon Him. He desires them, through the lessons that He teaches them, to become more and more spiritualized. If His Word is not followed in all humility and meekness, He brings to them experiences which, if rightly received, will help to prepare them for the work to be done in His name. God desires to reveal His power in a marked manner through the lives of His people. [UL 65] COMMENTARY A Grief Observed After his wife died, Christian writer C. S. Lewis published a book in 1961 called A Grief Observed. It spelled out his personal struggle on how to come to terms with the God he loved, and who he believed loved him, despite the tragedy. His conclusion reconfirmed his faith in the love of God. How can a God of love cause grief - pain, suffering - to those He loves? In one sense God is never the cause of suffering. Psalm 5:4 states, "You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You." But in another sense, in this wicked world, God at times "causes grief" by not shielding us from pain. He does so "for our good always" (Deuteronomy 6:24), because He loves us (Revelation 3:19). This kind of pain has a teaching purpose; it's not arbitrary or sadistic. And that means, as today's promise assures, it never ends in hopelessness. In the grief which comes from God, the road always ends in compassion. Don't let grief blind your eyes: Even in the midst of deep heartache, we can count "the multitude of His mercies." The Hebrew term for "mercies" is a deeply meaningful word that includes God's covenant faithfulness to His people. Are you, like Lewis was, struggling with God in your grief? Cling to this promise: God "does not afflict willingly"; instead He is "willing ... that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). God's undying love is manifested in your opportunity to be saved. And every time someone chooses not to be, God is the One who grieves. Jesus, I am so grateful that You, who "[have] borne our griefs" (Isaiah 53:4), understand my sorrow and have promised to end it one day. [The Most Amazing Bible Promises by Amazing Facts] CLOSING THOUGHT God Is Doing What's Best for Us God is at work in each of us whether we know it or not, whether we want it or not. Lamentations 3:33 says, "He takes no pleasure in making life hard, in throwing roadblocks in the way." He doesn't delight in our sufferings, but He delights in our development. It's what Paul pointed out in Philippians 1:6 when he wrote, "God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure He will continue until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again." Don't see your struggle as an interruption to life but as preparation for life. No one said the road would be easy or painless. But God will use this mess for something good. This trouble you are in isn't punishment, it's training. It is the normal experience of children. God is doing what's best for us, training us to live God's holy best! [Max Lucado Daily Devotional at maxlucado.com] BLESSED SONG ABOUT BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE Blessings - Laura Story (with lyrics) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQan9L3yXjc LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY Lamentations 3:31-33 - Getting Our Attention. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210901-0857.html James 1:2-4 - Profiting from Trials. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2012/20121129-1536.html Psalm 34:19 - The Blessings of Adversity. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240415-0920.html Romans 8:28 - Triumph in Tragedy. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20241211-1350.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/