DARE TO HOPE!

LAMENTATIONS 3:21-27: “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline:”. NLT ‭‭ OBSERVATION: Today, as I read these familiar words from Lamentations, I feel impressed to speak these words,

DARE TO HOPE!

I speak them to my own heart, and I speak them to any heart that is burdened and discouraged. The wonderful truth of the Christian faith is that there is always hope in Jesus Christ! It doesn’t matter what we are going through. A new day is coming. Each morning we are invited to meet His mercy and remember His faithfulness.

When someone says – “Be Hopeful,” it can seem insensitive when we are going through a very difficult time. Yet, we need to put these words in the context that we find them in the text. Many times we feel like our situation is impossible until we see someone else whose situation is much worse. No one could be in as bad of a situation as Jeremiah.

The book of Lamentations is Jeremiah’s expression of extreme grief as he witnessed the city of Jerusalem destroyed and his own people die from starvation and then the end of a sword. To witness God’s judgment is a sobering thing. And, to have been the messenger of that judgment takes it to a whole other level.

It was in the midst of this destruction, as flames burned, and the cries of people sounded in the street, that Jeremiah writes his lament. He wishes that he was never born than to witness such a tragedy. Yet, in the middle of this tragedy, Jeremiah pauses. There is something that undergirds him, that won’t let him fall into the depth of despair. That something is his faith in God. It is in this context that he writes,

• “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:..”

What did he remember? He remembered the faithful love of the Lord that never ends. He remembered God’s never-ending mercies. He remembered the faithfulness of God who always fulfilled His promises. He remembered that each day is made new by the love and mercy of God. So, Jeremiah speaks to himself and he says,

• “I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline:”.

On August 28, 2021, I was involved in a serious accident that could have cost me my life. I spent 11 days in the hospital and I am still recovering. Yet, during another prolonged recovery process in my life, I was filled with hope. It was not merely the hope of recovering. Rather, it was the hope of what the Lord was going to do in my life. As I waited, and as I hoped, the Holy Spirit began to speak into my life and open up the Word of God in a new way.

Even in the darkest of days, we can dare to hope!

Will you dare to hope? Will you dare to remember the unfailing love of God, His endless mercies, His abiding faithfulness, and His promise that you can meet Him anew each morning? Will you dare to receive revelation from the Holy Spirit as you open up His Word? Will you dare to allow Him to lead you into your new purposes of life?

WILL YOU DARE TO HOPE?

Lord, today I dare to hope! I dare to believe! I dare to remember Your goodness, mercy, and love! And, I dare to ask You to touch every hurting heart that cries out to You. Meet them and make their day anew with Your mercy and grace.

In Jesus Name!