Hope in the Midst of Affliction

Lamentations chapter 3 is geared towards Jeremiah’s mourning for the people of Jerusalem; these people were turning from God, therefore, causing destruction among themselves. Looking at my own life, I am way too familiar with causing self destruction. As I talked about in my last blog, as a human, it is inevitable that I make mistakes—sometimes even caused by deliberant planning, but as the Bible reminds us in Lamentations 3:31-33, “For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. For He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.” We create affliction and grief by our decisions and disobedience to God, but thankfully He shows compassion through that. That in itself shows what great love He has for His children. The distance He would go to show compassion is endless. 

Though such affliction and grief may be brought upon us, we can be reminded that “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed for His compassions never fail. The are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). There are many times that I FEEL consumed by life’s plundering, but as Jeremiah says, wait on the Lord; He is our portion. I love the deliverance of Lamentations as it starts out as Jeremiah lamenting, expressing grief and sorrow, and it ends with such hope—the TRUTH behind those sorrowful, grief-filled feelings. Jeremiah says something along the lines that although I feel this way, I can have hope because the Lord is faithful and true. As stated earlier “He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love.” Jeremiah clearly remembers the great pain He has experienced, but He does not sit in it, rather reminds Himself of who God is and how He gives us mercies that are new every morning. Forgiveness of God does not let us off the hook, but it reminds us of two things: God loves us through it all, and because He loves us, He wants us to turn from our wicked ways. God is the safest place to lament to. We are able to go to Him, unfiltered by our emotions, yet we get to sit quietly in His holy presence and be reminded of His truth. His truth outweighs our emotions because of the power that it holds. 

Having a major depressive and bipolar disorder, my emotions seem too heavy to overcome at times, however, the power of God’s truth speaks louder than that. God, being the Most High, has defeated satan. Satan is the thief of joy and picks at our emotions to make us feel defeated. The enemy can make us feel that way, but God helps us to stand firm in what is actually true—that He has already defeated satan. We have already won and have victory in Jesus’ name. We may bring destruction among ourselves, but God so graciously walks with us as we face the consequence. Reading Lamentations 3:39 struck a chord at my heart; I often feel overcome by the consequences of my own actions, but as it says, “Why should the living complain when punished from their sins?” Why should I complain at the fact that I have to face the outcome of my wrongdoing? Especially if we have a God who is WITH US in the midst of it. God doesn’t leave us for satan to devour our being, but He gives us an undeserved strength as we walk out the consequence.

God’s heart lights up as we begin to cry out to Him. No tear goes unnoticed, and He is thankful that we partner with Him in our sufferings. He is delighted that we turn to Him for the help that we so desperately need. When our hearts cry out to God, we are often in desperation for a change. Recently, my cries have been asking God to change my heart—to help me live out His word and turn from my sinfulness. I know that I can’t do it on my own, but I need God, the Most High, to show me the great strength that He holds. If I am being totally transparent with you, sometimes I mistakenly put forth anger to God. I point my finger at Him and deliberately go out of my way to sin. Simply put, God is good and faithful. I sin, and He forgives me, allowing my heart to be changed. He extends His hand and never forsakes me, despite my cruelty to Him. You will never find a love like that other than through God. Again, His compassion is endless. Today I am so thankful for God’s loyalty to me as a child that He loves and cherishes. I am thankful that I can get to a place where the truth of God is real and can transform my heart; it focuses my mind on the things of Heaven rather than the things of this world. I pray that as you try to live out God’s word, you are open to receive God’s mercy, but you are also open to the correction of God. Remember that God disciplines the ones He loves, and take to heart that He loves you too much to keep you in a place where you allow the enemy to guide your life. The enemy is there to destroy, but God is there to give you everlasting life.