Weekly Devotion no 17
24 July 2020
Bible reading – Lamentations 3:21-33
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope
is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
28 Let him sit alone in silence,
for the Lord has laid it on him.
29 Let him bury his face in the dust—
there may yet be hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
and let him be filled with disgrace.
for the Lord has laid it on him.
29 Let him bury his face in the dust—
there may yet be hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
and let him be filled with disgrace.
31 For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.
by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.
Reflection
It’s
hard when the rules keep changing and when we can’t see our family, our
grandchildren or our friends. We can feel anger, frustration, disappointment,
abandonment, grief, and even despair, particularly as the situation keeps being
extended. We can struggle when life doesn’t go as we had hoped, dreamed or
imagined. And we might question where is God in this? And how can we live life
to the full when we have such constraints and restrictions?
The
Bible shows us that it is okay to lament when we are in a difficult situation,
when we are suffering. Many of the Psalms are songs of lament. The rest of the
book of Lamentations reflects the feeling of hopelessness and suffering that the
writer had following the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, as a
consequence of the sin of God’s people.
However,
in the section of writing above, he moves from being consumed by the suffering
to looking to God, and finds that by doing so and because of God’s incredible love,
he is not actually ultimately consumed. He has hope for the future as he is
reminded of God’s faithfulness. His suffering continues for the time being, but
he waits on God and notices God’s compassion each and every morning. God is
trustworthy, and so in the midst of depression and chaos, he can also know God’s
unfailing, abundant, and compassionate love.
Hymn
Verse 1
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
there is no shadow of turning with thee;
thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
as thou hast been thou forever wilt be.
Refrain:
Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see:
all I have needed thy hand hath provided--
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Verse 2
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
[Refrain]
Verse 3
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
[Refrain]
CCLI Song # 5196100 Thomas Obediah Chisholm © 1923. Renewed 1951
Hope Publishing Company CCLI:69198
Prayer
Let us
with a gladsome mind
Praise
the Lord, for he is kind;
For his
mercies shall endure,
Ever
faithful, ever sure. Amen.
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