Lamentations 3 is not a pleasant and upbeat chapter until you arrive at verse 21:

22 Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

When facing challenging days, it is easy to believe that we are in ‘unprecedented’ times. Though our trouble may seem to us as something that has never happened before, the human experience has had many road markers entitled “Lamentation Lane.” For most of us, this has been a trying and stressful time. I have found comfort in this chapter of the Lamentations. God’s people feel as if things have deteriorated to the point that they are despairing of life and wondering: ‘where is God in all of this?’

I know that no pastor ever preached that the life of the believer was going to be nothing but one of ease and comfort. Though never taught, I somehow assumed it to be the case that the righteous would be exempt from problems. Having read the Bible, I see that it is an age-old problem. Why should we have so many trials and bad things to experience? Not only have I read the laments in Scripture, but I have also heard the cries of believers across the years. The trial and hardship they endure must be a mistake, for, after all, doesn’t God care about me?

Possessing today the vantage point of being a Christ-follower for a while, I have to confess that the greatest lessons I have learned were not discovered on the mountaintop when everything was going my way. The deepening of trust and faith transpired in the valleys and the storms of life. I learned to trust His heart even when I did not fully comprehend all that was taking place. Many times I had to lean on him hard and like the disciples when Jesus asked: “are you going to leave me as well?” The disciple’s response: “We have nowhere else to go.” Where else would I go, for He has the words of life? Yet, I do not seek out trials, distressing situations, and unbridled conflict, but I must confess that my soul was stretched and I discovered that when all you have is your faith in God, it is more than enough!

Some encouraging reminders today:

Because of the Lord’s great love. Yes, He loves you, if you feel that you have nothing to cling to, remember God loves you! He is our Father, and He cares about His children, and He understands where you are and how you feel.

We are not consumed. This part of the verse means that if it were not for God, we would not have made it thus far.

His compassion never fails. Failure and shortcomings seem to surround us, but God’s compassion never runs dry, nor does His compassionate love ever experience a power shortage.

They are new every morning. God’s grace, compassion, love, and mercy are always there to greet me when I awake in the morning. He gives me enough grace to make it through the day, and when I arise tomorrow, I will experience a new and fresh supply of His grace.

Great is His faithfulness. Life has turned many of us into skeptics. We believe “if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably isn’t.” You may operate this way when dealing with humanity. But God is faithful! He always has been, and He always will be!

Regardless of where you are this moment, trust the faithful God. Every person in the Bible experienced hard times and for some extreme difficulties. Their testimony down through the ages is, “He has been faithful.” I gave my life to the Lord as a boy in 1969. I, too, can say He has been, He is, and I know He always will be faithful!

Great is They Faithfulness!

One Thought to “Because of the Lord’s great love.”

  1. Ruth Cordell

    I love your devotions and look forward to hearing them.They are an encouragement to me. Please don’t stop. God bless you Dr. Blake

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