In the midst of sadness there is hope; in the presence of despair there is comfort; in the presence of defeat there is victory; in the presence of sin there is forgiveness, in the presence of struggles there is strength. Where does this come from? None other than from our Lord, from confidence in who He is and in His Holy Word. Judah had been devastated. Judgment ripped through the nation and left it unrecognizable to what it had once been. The sins of the people, though they had thought themselves safe, prosperous, and full of glee, left them desolate. They looked at what was left and mourned deeply for what they once had. Everything changed. Even those who had been faithful to the Lord were now reaping the effects of other’s sins. Their situation looked hopeless. Their enemy had become the victor and they were reduced to nothing more than slaves.
But there was hope for Judah, and there is hope for every believer today. God’s Word does not change. In lamenting their sad state, the writer remembered what he knew to be true: “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’” (Lamentations 3.21-24). May we never forget. No matter how bleak our world may look at times and how unknow the future seems, our hope is in our Lord. Hope does not come from dreams and vain expectations; it does not come from how we feel or what we desire; it does not come from what we have attained or achieved. Our hope must be grounded in our Lord, in who He is. It must be founded upon the truth of His Word. When this is so, we will be able to move forward successfully though every situation of life, knowing our Lord knows, understands completely, and will never fail His own redeemed children. In Christ alone is our hope.
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.
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.
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!
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!
Thomas Chisholm
Remembering God’s faithfulness – we have much to be thankful for –
Terry
My Morning Desk 