21 This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I have hope in Him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.
26 It is good that he waits silently
For the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:21-26 NASB
Many years ago a friend drew my attention to this scripture passage.
Lamentations is, as the name indicates, a lament. But verse 21 is a turning point in the lament. Up to this point Jeremiah expresses grief at what God has done in punishing his people and in Jeremiah’s own suffering as the prophet called upon to express God’s (unwelcome) call to repentance.
However, in verse 21, he begins to voice hope. He has hope because he reflects on the love and compassion and faithfulness of God towards his people despite the circumstances.
It is the content of his reflection that is important, of course. But perhaps it is well to note that he calls or recalls this to mind. He deliberately meditates on the love, compassion and faithfulness of God.
They are in his mind – to be recalled – in part because of his own experience of God, of course, but also because he has a knowledge of the history of God’s dealing with his people as found in scripture.
It is likely that the tribulations experienced by Jeremiah would exceed those experienced by the reader of this blog. However, the principle applies. We can and should remind ourselves of God’s love, compassion and faithfulness to us personally. We can and should remind ourselves of his love, compassion and faithfulness as demonstrated in scripture.
– SSXG