the only One who is faithful
I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long.
He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; he has broken my bones; he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago.
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."
Lamentations 3:1-6, 20-24
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I love it when I find famous, well-known passages, and then see the context that it is placed within.
Who knew that the verse "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases..", which has been learned as a song lyric for many believers, comes right after the anguished outcry of an afflicted believer? One who describes God as being one that "breaks his bones" and fills him with "bitterness and tribulation"?
If anything, it strengthens the verse and makes it shine that much brighter.
How difficult it is for the believer to praise and place their hope in the Lord especially when they feel like life is just one, giant black hole.
Remembering God's sovereign, good hand, in the face of great trials exemplifies the heart that is filled with faith and can turn to no other than the Lord Himself.
Nothing in this world, no person walking this planet, can ever give a person the hope that God is able to give. No one will be able to recall the goodness of a person in the face of disaster and find peace that transcends understanding. Sure, people try, and to some extent, they are successful in finding peace and hope in finite things.
But all these will pass away. The dark days will return again and one after another, people and created things will fall and fail to give that person peace in their distress.
Only the Lord, the One who allows all these tribulations to come, can be the One who we can place our greatest hope in.
"His mercies never come to an end! They are new every morning! Great is your faithfulness!"
He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; he has broken my bones; he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago.
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."
Lamentations 3:1-6, 20-24
---
I love it when I find famous, well-known passages, and then see the context that it is placed within.
Who knew that the verse "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases..", which has been learned as a song lyric for many believers, comes right after the anguished outcry of an afflicted believer? One who describes God as being one that "breaks his bones" and fills him with "bitterness and tribulation"?
If anything, it strengthens the verse and makes it shine that much brighter.
How difficult it is for the believer to praise and place their hope in the Lord especially when they feel like life is just one, giant black hole.
Remembering God's sovereign, good hand, in the face of great trials exemplifies the heart that is filled with faith and can turn to no other than the Lord Himself.
Nothing in this world, no person walking this planet, can ever give a person the hope that God is able to give. No one will be able to recall the goodness of a person in the face of disaster and find peace that transcends understanding. Sure, people try, and to some extent, they are successful in finding peace and hope in finite things.
But all these will pass away. The dark days will return again and one after another, people and created things will fall and fail to give that person peace in their distress.
Only the Lord, the One who allows all these tribulations to come, can be the One who we can place our greatest hope in.
"His mercies never come to an end! They are new every morning! Great is your faithfulness!"
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