His Mercy Is EverLasting

Lamentations 3: 16-24

With the horrible destruction wrought by Hurricane Sandy, this seems an appropriate time to meditate on Affliction and Hope, with the assurance of hope which the afflicted can have in God and his providence.   Those of us who have suffered tragedies, death, loss, and chronic illness in our families most certainly can identify with the pain of the prophet, for it is believed Lamentations was written by the Prophet Jeremiah, although that is not an absolute certainty. The person of whom we can always be sure is God.  

Hear the words of affliction:  He has made me to cower in the dust.   My soul has been rejected from peace;  I have forgotten happiness.  So I say,  My strength has perished and so has my hope from the Lord" (Lamentations 3: 16b-18).  What deep grief the writer feels:  he is suffering from loss of home, health, and emotional peace.  He is disturbed within, and he feels this to the innermost part of his soul.  The pain seems too much to bear; but then, there is a flicker of hope.  He says, Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and the bitterness.  Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me.  This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope (Lamentations 3:19-21).

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His words of hope lift the heart and the soul:  God's light shines into the cave in which he sits.
Listen:  The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning;  great is Your faithfulness.  "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore, I have hope in Him" (Lamentations 3:22-24).  

What precious knowledge to store within our hearts.   There is no end to God's lovingkindness:  He is full of compassion and mercy.  Moreover, His compassions never fail (Lam 3: 22b)  Every morning  His compassions are new, which means there is freshness and new hope for  us to look forward to tomorrow morning, the next and the next with no end in sight.  We can wait when we know the Lord and we hope;  for then, we know we will have His mercy.  For His mercy is everlasting and His compassions never fail  (Lam 3:22b).  Amen.

All scripture is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).  
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