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“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 seeks Him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord” (Lamentations 3: 21-26).
Jeremiah, in the book of Lamentations, begins to weep over the condition and position of his nation. I believe that is where we are right now; entering the time of sorrow over our nation. As we see from Lamentations 3: 21-26, Jeremiah was reminded of the Lord’s faithfulness and it gave him hope. If you are going through a hard time right now, focus on God’s faithfulness and let hope rise in your heart.
It is important to remember that hope is born from the womb of hopelessness.
In Jeremiah’s day, it was not a time to preach judgment for judgment was already set. It was a time to preach hope. I believe the Lord has spoken and I feel like he is saying that 2013 will be a year of HOPE. I know, from Scripture, that God’s judgment is always tempered by mercy. That gives us reason for HOPE.
I want to give you seven reasons to HOPE in the midst of judgment. Write this down, or cut this out of the paper, and keep it in your Bible this year. It will give you hope. Reason number one:
1. Because God is a God of mercy. “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed” (verse 22a). Notice that mercies are plural. God is full of mercy. That is a great reason to hope.
2. Because His compassions do not fail (verse 22b). His compassions are love in action: unselfish, unconditional, unwavering, unchangeable, undying, unfailing, and undividable. That is a great reason to HOPE.
3. Because His mercies are new every morning (verse 23a). The old covenant always had a time period attached to it and had to be renewed annually, but in the new covenant Jesus died once for all. Every morning when you get up, His mercy starts over fresh and new. That’s a great reason to HOPE.
4. Because great is His faithfulness (verse 23b). He remains faithful, even when we are faithless. That is a great reason to HOPE.
5. Because the Lord is my portion (verse 24). The Lord Himself is our reward. That’s grace. Mercy keeps us from what we deserve, but grace gives us what we could never earn. He is our portion and that gives us reason to HOPE.
6. Because the Lord is good (verse 26). Isaiah 40:31 says there are benefits for waiting on the Lord, but we must also remember that every benefit comes out of His goodness. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights…” Because the Lord is good and every good gift comes from him - That is reason to HOPE.
7. Because salvation comes from the Lord (verse 26). Do you know what you have when you have salvation? Salvation means you have deliverance, preservation, restoration, repentance, redemption, blessing, prosperity and yes, even HOPE. What a wonderful reason to HOPE!
God has provided, in salvation, all we need in life. He is our HOPE. Because God is merciful, compassionate, faithful, and good we have hope right in the middle of trouble. I believe 2013 will be a year of HOPE. Take hold of HOPE because the Bible says, “Hope is the anchor of your soul” (Hebrews 6:19).
He serves as an apostolic leader to many churches as well as in several other countries. He is active in church planting in India and South Africa and is an accomplished author, singer, speaker and encourager, Bro. Rick travels extensively to fulfill the calling God has placed on his life. He can be contacted by writing to Rick Clendenen Ministries, Inc., PO Box 287, Benton, KY 42025. For more info go www.rcminc.org. |
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