In the deepest anguish, a soaring hope …

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Theodor Galle after Jan van der Straet Jeremiah Published 1613 Print
National Gallery of Art, NGO Image, Public Domain

“My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,
‘therefore I will hope in him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:20-26, ESV)

Christians can do it without much thought. We can trivialize a significant reality by reducing the notating meaningful Scripture verses to cliché like slogans. These sloganized verses are then printed, painted, inscribed on plaques, notes, canvases and posters. This in some ways allows the verses and the truth contained in them to become more like tokens or decorations then living expressions of praise, prayer, worship to our Redeemer or testaments to His attributes and provisions to us in the midst of our elation or discouragement.

A favorite set of verses for most Christians comes from the book of Lamentations. These verses speak of the faithfulness of God and about His mercies and compassion flowing to us and covering us gracefully and in fresh ways each and every day. The rhythm and flow of the words in these verses lends itself to being remembered and endearing. For many generations, the truth contained in both the hymn and verse, “Great is thy faithfulness” have been a comfort and a strength to countless Christian believers. The soothing balm-like comfort of God coming to renew our spirits each and every day is both significant and powerful. While it is vitally important to memorize God’s Word and hide it in our hearts (Psalm 119:11); we must never neglect to bring the fullness of the context and the depth of all emotion and content to all Scripture. In the complexity of everything transpiring and every nuance flowing forth in the words and phrases of the verses, we still appeal to the Holy Spirit as we seek the deeper contents and the relevancy to our own relationship to our God and those around us.

Before Jeremiah ever expresses his hope and strength in the faithfulness of God and His abundant and redeeming and healing mercies; he pours out one of the most heart wrenching and descriptive laments recorded in all of the Old Testament Scriptures. Jeremiah uses numerous metaphors in fullest of expressive ways to accentuate his deepest anguish in suffering along with his unfaithful nation the sadness, brokenness, isolation, judgment of being separated from the God he has loved and trusted.

Jeremiah feels cast aside, neglected, torn, forgotten, pierced and left as a dead man as he pours out the deep anguish of his soul. Almighty God, who had so richly provided and blessed His chosen people has turned away from those He had chosen and Jeremiah lives out that reality as feels God has abandoned him as well. The deepness to that sense of abandonment moves Jeremiah to weep for the nation of Judah as he longs for his God to remember His people and come with His steadfast love to them again. We must read the preceding lamenting verses before we ever claim the hopeful realities Jeremiah proclaims will strengthen our faith. The pivotal verse comes as Jeremiah turns in the midst of the deepest anguish to again put his trust in God trusting in God’s steadfast love alone. The great truth is not simply about God’s new compassion for each day. The great reality will always be … In the midst of the deepest pain and suffering; it is the great faithfulness of God’s steadfast love in gracefully pouring out His mercies ever fresh and new in each and every day which will free our hope in Him to soar from any and all anguish around us.

Suggested Reading … The full and complete 3rd Chapter of Lamentations

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