Scripture:
Lamentations 3:21-26 NKJV
[21] This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. [22] Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. [23] They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. [24] “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” [25] The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. [26] It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the Lord.
Observation:
The book of Lamentations was written by Jeremiah, who was also known as the weeping prophet. His love for GOD’S chosen people brought his heart to a constant breaking point. However, he never gave up hope. With tearful prayer and supplication. He consistently brought his heart to the LORD. The word or name of the book in and of itself tells us a lot about Jeremiah’s love for the Jewish people. The word lamentations describes a passionate, heartfelt expression of grief. His love for the Jewish people brought his heart to a position of fervent prayer. The kind of prayer that is spoken about in the book of James chapter 5 and verse 16, as James explains, that prayer that changes things in verses 13 through 18 in that chapter. Although a lot of the book of Lamentations is Jeremiah’s heartfelt petition to the LORD, there are several hope-filled moments. As his heart cries out to HOD for the suffering of HIS chosen people. He knows the heart and character of the LORD are rooted in loving mercy and goodness. That’s a portion of GOD’S character that he is not willing to sweep under the rug. Let’s take a good look at how it’s brought to the attention of his readers. Starting in verse 21, the prophet says, “This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.” Jeremiah had memories of what the LORD had done. He had been educated as a boy of all the miraculous moments the LORD showed up. Moments of unexplainable power on display. Moments of mercy and grace that defied what was deserved by the people that had been chosen by the LORD as HIS own. As explained in verse 20, these moments brought his heart to sink into his chest. Jeremiah knew the LORD’s people and their behavior all too well. For several years, he had been standing in the city square, declaring the word of the LORD and calling for them to repent. Only to find himself hated by them and mistreated. Thrown into a siren and left for dead, amongst other things. That didn’t change his heart for them. In fact, it just brought him to understand their need for the LORD’S mercy even more. Jeremiah’s cry here is to remember the Jewish people that the LORD’s mercy is new every morning, and it’s only by that mercy that they are not utterly destroyed. You see, Jeremiah knew… he knew what they deserved…. yet he still cried out to the LORD for them. He still wrote letters and books begging them to change. Telling them everything that the LORD was going to do, and then watching them fall into that over and over again. But his heart for them never changed, and they were never completely destroyed. GOD’S mercy always shone through. It was as if HE renewed them every morning. Jeremiah watched it up close and personal. Yet GOD remained faithful to HIS promise and honestly still does. Jeremiah’s hope that something would change was placed in the LORD and HIS ability. He had hope in the LORD’S plan. We can see that from what he wrote in one of the most commonly quoted verses in the bible, Jeremiah chapter 29 and verse 11. He knew that the LORD was the answer. That can be easily seen in verses 24 through 26, “The LORD is my portion, says my soul, therefore my hope is in HIM! The LORD is good to those who wait for HIM. to the soul who SEEKS HIM. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
Application:
Have you ever had a ministry burden placed on your heart for the LORD? Something that every time you see it, it just takes your heart to a point of brokenness that is hard to express. If that’s not you, then disregard the rest of this SOAP. This is one for those people who know that they have been called the people who see the broken people in this world, and their heart continues to break knowing that they are GOD’S people. Over the past few years, GOD has been placing a burden on my heart. This burden is heavy, and people are dying. Alone and broken, but there is no need for it. All they need to know is that GOD loves them and that HE is merciful. But try telling them that. It’s not an easy task. Most of the time, they push you away. Thinking you are just trying to tell them a list of things they shouldn’t do. Yet missing the point of GOD’S love entirely. GOD places burdens on our hearts for a reason. It’s up to us to figure out the reason and do something. In the last few months, HE has directed me into a ministry that continues to break my heart. As I write this in lamentation. GOD continues to call. “Just turn…. I love you… all you have to do is see that…. I will do the rest.” But that’s something hard for the homeless drug addicts to see. I know this from experience. At a few different points in my life, people spoke to me, telling me that GOD loved me and my only thought was…. what do you want from me. I don’t have anything left to give. It took a long time, and a lot of hard knocks to realize they were not trying to get something from me, but they were trying to get something to me. GOD’S mercy is free. HIS salvation is sure, and his grace has no price tag attached to it. It’s very clear to me that the LORD has given me a ministry to the homeless. Loving those who are broken and getting into the mess to the best of my ability without pushing them away from the one thing they need the most is not easy. In fact, it’s heartbreaking, and it’s not my plan. It’s HIS. I would have picked something completely different. But my hope is in the LORD, and HE wastes absolutely nothing. All these years of homelessness are going to pay off after all. My heart may break. But I have surrendered to HIS will. The point I have to make and how it applies to you is that GOD has given you a ministry. Something that weighs heavy on your heart. Some place you have walked through and understand that struggle. It’s a ministry that your heart will break, but you will see GOD’S mercy offered over and over until it is received. HIS plans are good, and they mean no harm. Everything you have faced in life will be used for HIS glory. Every victory and every moment that seemed like defeat. It’s all victory in HIS eyes because it all brings you one step closer to seeing HIM for who HE really is. A GOD of love who showers new mercy every day.
Prayer:
Father, we know that you see us, and our hope is in you. As our heart breaks for those who are struggling around us, help us to see that you are at work. One day, your mercy will be seen, and your grace is received. As we pray for the broken and our hearts are broken for them. Give us the right words to say that will bring them to understand who you are and the love you have for them. It’s the same love we received and it is available to all. Show us how to pray a heartfelt petition for a world that consistently turns its back on you. When you have already made a way for them to reconnect to the only one who saves….. YOU…. you are our portion, and our hope is not in us…. It’s in you and your plan. We know that every knee will bow, and all will confess that you are LORD, to the glory of GOD the Father. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus we pray, amen.