Daily Devotional “Hope Requires Mourning”

Daily Devotional for December 5, 2015

Lamentations 3


 

Scripture:

13 He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver. 14 I became the laughingstock of all my people; they mock me in song all day long. 15 He has filled me with bitter herbs and sated me with gall. 16 He has broken my teeth with gravel; he has trampled me in the dust. 17 I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18 So I say, “My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the LORD.” 19 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. 20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. 21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” 25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

 

Observation:

Both the hope we have in Christ and our emotionally internalized culture impact how we mourn. Elsewhere in the world, wailing, sobbing, unkempt hair, and torn clothes are signs of mourning. We might dismiss these as so much drama, but they are what human pain looks and sounds like when exposed and unfiltered.

If we set our detachment aside, Lamentations is powerful, even overwhelming. Only when we are awash with the terror of all that had befallen Jerusalem under God’s righteous judgment can we feel how a sliver of hope can stab right through the sorrow:

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 3:22–23).

Amid the ashes and decay of a city laid waste or a life in ruins, we can feel the full impact of this declaration: the only thing that keeps us from being completely wiped out for our sins is the compassion of our Creator, who allows us the hope of a new dawn.

 

Application:

  • Personal Application: In the midst of pain, we still have the blessed hope of Jesus Christ in our lives. As Spirit-empowered men, we should set our eyes on the eternal hope provided through Jesus Christ and share that hope with those around us.
  • Family Devotional: Read this passage to your family. Remind them that God’s Word is true and that Jesus Christ gives us hope. Ask them if they have struggled at times with seeing hope in a tough situation. Talk about these times and encourage them to keep their eyes on Jesus. Pray with them.

 

Prayer:

  • Personal Prayer Focus: Ask God for the ability to see His presence in every situation and circumstance.
  • Family Prayer Focus: Pray that your family will wake up each day with a fresh sense of God’s hope in their life.

 

Three Year Reading Plan for Sunday, November 29 – Sunday, December 6:

  • Sunday, November 29: Jeremiah 49
  • Monday, November 30: Jeremiah 50
  • Tuesday, December 1: Jeremiah 51
  • Wednesday, December 2: Jeremiah 52
  • Thursday, December 3: Lamentations 1
  • Friday, December 4: Lamentations 2
  • Saturday, December 5: Lamentations 3
  • Sunday, December 6: Lamentations 4

 

—TOM GROOT is National Director of Men’s Ministry and  Christian Education. Connect with Tom on Facebook or Twitter @TomGrootJr.

Portions of this devotional are adapted from God’s Word for Today, August 31, 2014, written by Kevin Dawson.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise marked, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblicia, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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