As I think about the upcoming new year and reflect on the one that is nearing an end, there are a few things that come to mind. For many of us, this season is about implementing some sort of change in our lives. I am not talking just about a “new year’s resolution” here, but focusing on making some real and lasting changes in the way we think, act or behave. While it is not true of all people, one thing I see happening on a widespread basis, is that more and more people are living with stress and depression that is often times pretty debilitating. As I think about this, I wanted to offer a couple of thoughts that MAY be helpful for some who are either going through a tough time right now or perhaps some who may KNOW someone who is. Let me share just a few verses from Lamentations with you. This comes from Lamentations 3:19-23 and reads as follows (NASB):
Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness.
Surely my soul remembers
And is bowed down within me.
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
In the first part of Lamentations 3, Jeremiah (or whoever is the author) talks about the laments of the Jews with regards to their recent past (during their Babylonian captivity). You see phrases like “He has caused my flesh and my skin to waste away..” (v4) and “In dark places He has made me dwell..” (v6). In verse 1, Jeremiah ascribes the reason for the difficulty of the Jews to the wrath of God. The first 18 verses of this chapter are a series of “woe is me” type phrases.
How many of us live in this world where everything is dark and unhappy? It is unimportant if that darkness is real or imagined. I can recall periods of my life where I could easily relate to what Jeremiah shared about the state Israel was in at this time. I suspect that for many of you, this is true as well.
NOW, comes verse 19. As Jeremiah turns the page and the focus moves from their troubles and the realities (real or imagined) of God’s wrath onto the reality of God’s mercy and love (always real) , you see a different mindset develop. The verses above are filled with the hope that we find in the love of God. We see phrases like “the Lord’s lovingkindness indeed never cease” (v22) and “Therefore I have hope” (v21).
Many of us can relate to the darkness and struggle that is very real in this sin-broken world. It is a smaller set of us that understand and are able to let go of all that and re-focus on the love and mercy of God almighty. The reality is that He is not unaware of our situation and he is not uncaring with regards to it. His love and compassion toward us cause him to renew his stance toward us daily. God is ultimately faithful to his character, which certainly includes his wrath, but it also includes his love, compassion and mercy, upon which we can build a sure hope.
SO…as you think about the new year, consider these thoughts:
Our hope can be found only where a firm foundation exists. Our problems usually come from a place where things are shaky and unstable. What we require is some stability in order to find a hope that is lasting and easy to hold on to. This is who and what God is. He is a strong foundation and his remains faithful to himself and is, therefore, a strong source of hope for us BECAUSE he loves us. That is what Jeremiah was saying about the Jews. They, like us, have struggles, but they, like us, have a place where stability and hope can be found – in the love and mercy of God.
In order to take advantage of that hope, we need to have a real and living relationship with God, as the Jews did. For us, that relationship is made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Romans 5:10 says it this way:
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.“
A real relationship with the God who provides hope and mercy is possible for each of us. There is no need to continue to live under the wrath of God, because his mercy is available to those of us who place our hope in him. There is no need to continue to live without hope, either, because it IS possible to find a solid footing in a relationship with the Christ. It is he that makes this all possible. It is my prayer that this short article is helpful to someone.