Morning Devotionals

by Don Emmitte

 

April 28th, 2008

 

"The Restoration of Hope (Part 3)"

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).

Today we start looking at the steps in the path out of despair. Jeremiah begins this passage lamenting the loss of everything dear to him. He has not received what he expected from the Lord. By the end of the chapter, however, hope has replaced bitterness and despair. Jeremiah says that the Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him. His circumstances have not changed. As I wrote yesterday, the difference in Jeremiah's outlook is the difference between hoping for something from the Lord and hoping in Him. But what exactly does it mean to "hope in the Lord"? How can we do this?

The first principle is that hope in the Lord is a decision and an act of faith. After voicing his despair, Jeremiah chose to remember what he knew was true about the God he served. He knew what God had promised, and what His character was like. He focused on these things instead of allowing his emotions to drive him to despair. This passage is no sentimental tribute to God. Rather, it is a stark statement of faith amid complete desolation. Jerusalem had been consumed. Little evidence of God's goodness and faithfulness was visible as Jeremiah surveyed the worst devastation God's people had ever experienced.

Look at the language Jeremiah uses again in our reading. While hope is a word that carries certain emotional connotations, placing hope in the Lord is an act of faith and an act of the will. It may or may not be a particularly "feel-good" experience.

Learning to place our hope in God in this way is difficult. We often evaluate our walk based on my how much we feel His compassion and faithfulness. When we navigate by feelings instead of revealed truth, we quickly sail into dangerous waters. Our feelings are based on a limited and skewed perspective of reality. They create a self-centered and inaccurate understanding of who He is and how He wants to relate to us.

Like Jeremiah, we need to actively recall the truth of who God is. The only accurate picture of Him is found in the Scripture. When disappointment seems more crushing than you can bear, the Word of God helps to realign our perspective by reminding us of the call to love and serve others. Make a decision today to hope!