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Jeremiah lived to see the utter destruction of his beloved
Jerusalem, the city of David, and the city of God's temple.
He saw the infants dying in the streets, the women and teens and
old men crushed by war, famine and thirst. He saw the
terrible ruin, the suffering, the horrible death all around him.
And as he wrote about his own agony of soul, he also included
these words as a witness to all generations:
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed,
because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning:
great is thy faithfulness.
The LORD is my portion, saith my soul;
therefore will I hope in him.
The LORD is good unto them that wait for him,
to the soul that seeketh him.
It is good that a man should both hope
and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
(Lamentations 3:21-26)
Jeremiah grieved for the horrific loss of life, the ruin of
Jerusalem and the destruction of Judah. Yet even in his
agony, he held firmly to a measure of hope. God had
already given him specific and clear promises regarding the
rebuilding of the city that was now in ruins. Jeremiah
knew that God was no liar. He knew that the Lord God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would one day restore the people of
Israel and the city itself.
Jeremiah lived thousands of years ago. Jerusalem has been
twice rebuilt since. Today, however precariously, the
people of Israel once again occupy that land of sacred promise.
You and I can also depend on God. When we cry out in our
time of need, we can cry out in faith. We do not merely
have faith in some kind of legal obligation, on God's part, to
answer our prayers. We have seen God's love and compassion
at work in the person of Jesus Christ. We have seen His
work of grace in our own lives, if we know the Lord Jesus as our
Savior. And we have seen God help and restore other
people, as well.
My faith is in the goodness and love of God for all people.
If the Lord only acted in response to our obedience, our faith
or goodness, where would any of us be? The Lord blesses us
because He loves to bless people. He saves us because it
is in His heart to rescue the lost. He protects us because
he delights to do good for anyone and everyone.
God loves people. He is truly good in all His ways.
And all that He does, even in the darkest day, He does for the
good of each and every human soul, to bring all people closer to
Him and His perfect light, and His divine life for eternity.
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