Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "the Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Lamentations was written by Jeremiah around 586 B.C. Jerusalem had just been destroyed by the Babylonians. It was a time of great sorrow and pain. Jeremiah wrote this lament about his home and his people, but remembered that the Lord loves him and that the Lord would not break his promises.
This has become one of my very favorite verses. I stumbled across it one day this past semester when I was just having a terrible day. I was upset about a lot of things and I was begging God to tell me why my life sucked so much. I had decided to do my devotion later that day. I had been reading in Acts, which is my favorite book, but it just didn't feel right that day. So I closed my Bible, closed my eyes, reopened my Bible and pointed to a random verse. This is where I ended up.
When I did that I wasn't looking for spiritual guidance. I wasn't looking for some kind of divine intervention or an answer. But that is what I was given. It's moments like this that make me feel so deeply connected to my faith. These moments reassure me that I'm on the right path and that I shouldn't doubt myself. In general I don't recommend opening up to a random place in the Bible to seek guidance. I really didn't. I was just looking for a place to read. I tend to not venture into the later chapters of the Old Testament--a habit I'm trying to change.
The thing that really got me about this verse is what I got out of reading it. This verse is about patience. It is about putting your faith in God and having enough faith to know that he will do good things if you are faithful. God isn't going to give us all of the answers right when we ask for them. It's not how it works. If we had all of the answers we were looking for--especially at the age of 20, what would be the point in living? The life God gave us is so unique, why would he waste it by telling us everything, making everything perfect?
I can't pick a favorite part of this verse because every part is so powerful.
Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
God loves us! He loves us so much that he sacrificed his own son so that we may be saved from Satan's wrath. In Genesis God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to show his true faithfulness. Abraham followed the Lord's command but before Isaac could be killed, the Lord came to Abraham and rewarded him for his faith. In a way, God sacrificing his son shows how much faith he has in us.
It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Everything happens for a reason. I have found that the more patient I am, the more things turn out Ok. Don't let your mind fight what your heart tells you is right. I doubt myself so much and I know that the Lord has faith in me. I need to have more faith in him. It's okay to ask God for answers. It's not logical to expect him to give you a definitive answer on the spot. A lot of people ask for "signs" and expect some sort of beam of light to shine down or a dove to fly by, or something. God does give us signs, but they are much more subtle than that. That's the thing. You can't just sit down and pray one day and expect God to answer. You must have FAITH. When you have faith its easier to see the hidden things that God puts in your life.
Looking back, I wish I'd had more faith, more desire for a relationship with God when I was in high school. I can't change the past, but I can make my own future--a future full of God and full of the joys that God brings to life.
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