The book of Lamentations is a book of poems of sorrow and lament. Though it doesn’t sound very uplifting, it is very honest and does get us looking up. It is an encouragement to all those who trust in Jesus Christ. No matter how far we have fallen, and how bleak and dreary the situation appears to be; Great is God’s Faithfulness.
This sad poem was written by the prophet Jeremiah, a tenderhearted but strong man of God. His ministry spanned the last five kings of Judah, a time where this once great nation headed downhill in a hurry. He had lived through Josiah’s reformation, but now sees a nation diving head first into idolatry. Jeremiah had preached for many years against Judah’s sin, but he was ignored (Jeremiah 25:3-11). This faithful prophet loved his country, but the people would not hear the warnings. After 40 years of preaching and warning, the judgment that he predicted finally came to pass and Jerusalem was sacked by the Babylonians. The house of the Lord was burnt, the king’s house and all the homes of the great men were burned and the people were taken captive. The walls of the city were broken down, the king was abducted and had his eyes put out, eventually dying in a Babylonian prison. Forty years of warning. Forty years of weeping and frustration. Forty years of being ignored. But Jeremiah took no joy out of being right and being vindicated.
In this third chapter of this acrostic poem (in Hebrew, the verses start with a different letter of the alphabet) the first 20 verses are a cry of suffering. Images of great pain and mourning, a true lament of his burdened soul. But then, hope comes. Lamentations 3:21-23 “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
Jeremiah’s hope was in the Lord. First, he recalled God’s Word. He began to look at the situation through the lens of God’s promises. Jeremiah saw the city was destroyed and the people were captive, but realized that God had not destroyed them. The promises of the coming Messiah were still sure and true. God had mercifully spared them, even in chastisement. It was not God that was unfaithful to His Word, it was the nation that was unfaithful to God. Even in Judah’s unfaithfulness, God remained faithful. The compassion of God never fails, they are new every morning. You can never exhaust God’s compassion toward His people. If you are cleansed by the blood of Christ, and by faith trusting in Christ alone for salvation, every morning you will find a fresh supply of God’s mercy. God is faithful in His promises and covenant. You can trust your soul in Jesus Christ, because He is forever faithful. He cannot lie and always keeps His promises. There is hope, when you look to Christ.
