Morning Devotionals

by Don Emmitte

 

April 27th, 2008

 

"The Restoration of Hope (Part 2)"

I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.  So I say, "My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord." I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 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. (Lamentations 3:18-23 NIV).

Jeremiah was known as the “Weeping Prophet” since he ministered during a time of great despair in Israel. Because of this, he has a great deal to teach us about hope. First, however, we need to understand what hope is. Hope looks forward to something in the future with great expectation. Its objects are the things we desire most. While hope and desire are not synonymous, we cannot hope for something without desiring it.

Some hopes are realistic. Some aren't. But all paint a picture of a better tomorrow. We cherish these images in our hearts, looking forward to the day when what we dream about comes to pass. Hope comes in many shapes and sizes. Sometimes we hope for relationships: "If only I were married, or had a baby, or had more friends." We may hope for material things, such as a new house, a faster car, a Caribbean cruise. Or perhaps it's professional advancement we long for: a promotion, a higher degree, or just a way out of a dead-end job. We may envision health in the midst of sickness, money in the midst of financial difficulty, or that rebellious child would return to obedience. Hope has as many objects as there are hearts. At different stages of life, different hopes captivate us.

Our hopes are our companions every day. They demand our emotional attention. Such intensity creates a context in which God may mold, break, and reshape our hearts. Whatever our hopes, the way we deal with them is a crucial element of our path toward maturity. Of course, because we all hope, we all face disappointment. Hope and disappointment go hand in hand, for rarely, if ever, are we completely satisfied. Disappointment demands a hope that rises above the hurt of the circumstances and calls our hearts beyond today's pain. This is the message of the Weeping Prophet! Are you ready for that message today? If so, then you are ready for the third chapter of Lamentations. It has a path out of despair. The first step is a declaration of your need OF God. Jeremiah transforms his thoughts from hoping for something from the Lord to hoping in the Lord. Make that your commitment today.