Lamentations 3:22-24

Written ~ 08-22-2023

Lamentations 3:22-24

“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 Book of Lamentations is filled with sorrow and mourning over the destruction of Jerusalem. Jeremiah is pouring out his grief over the plight of the city he loves. Throughout the lament of Jeremiah every once and awhile he gives a glimpse of hope. He points us back to the Lord, even though he is grieving and distraught, he knows his salvation, his hope comes from the Lord. If you have read through the Book of Lamentations, you may have felt a little depressed afterward! There really isn’t too much uplifting content. But Jeremiah was grieving, he was seeing the people he loved being killed, scattered, and hauled off into captivity and exiled. All he could do was watch and cry out to the Lord in his anguish. He was swept up into a sea of sorrow, he was battered and bruised. When Jeremiah thought his life was coming to an end, he called on the Lord for help and the Lord said to him, “Do not fear.”

There may be times in your life that you have felt exactly like Jeremiah. Everything is swirling around you and life has you sinking into a pit of despair. You may even feel completely abandoned and alone. But where there is sorrow, despair and mourning, there is also hope, there is mercy and there is great faithfulness. You may just need to hear the Lord say, “Do not fear.” When we cry out to the Lord in the midst of trouble, He hears our call and He’s right there to offer His comfort.

Preceding our passage for today, Jeremiah is having a hopeful moment. He’s looking around at all the destruction and then in verses 3:20-21 he says,

“I will never forget this awful time as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this…”

Isn’t it true when we are going through a difficult time that our hope seems to get buried? But you know what? It’s time to remember, it’s time to recall the goodness of the Lord, even when life feels a little out of control. Verse 3:22a says,

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends!”

We may feel distance from the Lord at times. We have gone through the wringer and feel beat up, not sure where to turn. But recalling the love of the Lord is exactly what we need at that final moment of hopelessness. In our time of great need it is important to remember the love God has for us. He doesn’t want to see us hurting and alone, He’s reaching out for us, waiting for our hands to raise so He can pull us up. The Lord is faithful, His love is constant, He is completely devoted to our wellbeing. Verse 3:22b continues by saying,

“His mercies never cease.”

Even though we may feel abandoned at times, the Lord is merciful, He will not leave us to fend for ourselves. It may be that sorrow, pain, and deep anguish was needed to get our eyes focused back on the Lord. The Lord is compassionate, He will always show us His mercy… Verse 3:23,

“Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.”

Everyday we can look to the Lord with fresh eyes, no matter what we face in our day, we can respond with praise and honor to the Lord for His love and mercy. We have the promise that His love and mercy will never cease. I know it’s difficult at times, when your heart is heavy and weary, and you don’t have the energy to raise a hand of praise and your voice seems to be swallowed up. But we need to remind ourselves every single day, that verse 3:24 says,

“I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him.”

We have hope! We have a God that cares so deeply for us that He gave us His Son to save us and be joined as brothers and sisters to share in the inheritance of our precious Lord. We are alive! We are blessed with the presence of Almighty God! In verses 3:25-26 it says,

“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.”

Life will bring moments of sorrow and grief; it brings tribulation and anguish. But our Lord God promises He will never abandon us, He will always be right by our sides to show us His love, His mercy. We need to seek Him, search for Him, and wait for His response. When all of life’s difficulties seem to be more than we can handle and you don’t know where to turn, do as Jeremiah did and cry out to the Lord! Verses 3:54-58 say,

“The water rose over my head, and I cried out, “This is the end!” But I called on Your name, Lord, from deep within the pit. You heard me when I cried, “Listen to my pleading! Hear my cry for help!” Yes, You came when I called; You told me, “Do not fear.” Lord, You have come to my defense; You have redeemed my life.”

So, see? When all seems too much to bear, call out to the Lord! He has promised to rescue us!

“His mercies begin afresh each morning.”

Start today, start afresh. Call on the name of the Lord and be saved! Let Him shower you with His love and never-ending mercy!

~AMEN~