Lamentations 3:22-24
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
These are the words of one of my favorite Christian songs, heard frequently on You Tube, and sung at my church. They are words of assurance and hope taken from Lamentations 3:22-24. For a background to the Old Testament book, Lamentations, it was probably written by Jeremiah, a major prophet who had been predicting the destruction of Jerusalem for forty years before it happened. Now it appears he sees the captivity and destruction of the destroyed city and he is moved with anguish. Thus, he writes this poem and these precious words. Note how the writer acknowledges that God, who is the author of good and allows evil, responds to the contrite heart.
There are times in our lives when we realize that life is not the way it should be. Systems and institutions have failed, and perhaps even family has failed. What to do? I find that picking up the Bible and reading it can bring a new perspective. For certainly the people and nations described in the Bible are full of failure and often in despair. We are like those people of old of which this poem is written, who hear the message of God’s prophets, yet do not head them. When disaster takes place, we sit in mourning and unbelief that such has happened. We cry out in anger, fear, or despair. Is there hope? Does God give a hoot?
Yes, says the Scripture. God cares a lot about you and about those who have hurt you and even those whom you hurt. God is steadfast and God’s love never ceases—then or now. As the poem continues:
The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul that seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
It is good for one to bear
the yoke in youth,
to sit alone in silence
when the Lord has imposed it,
to put one’s mouth to the dust
(there may yet be hope),
to give one’s cheek to the smiter,
and be filled with insults.
For the Lord will not
reject forever.
Although he causes grief, he will have compassion
according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
for he does not willingly afflict
or grieve anyone.
What a wonderful God we have—author of hope and love and compassion. Joy, gentle friends!