Lamentations 3:19-21 – Therefore I Have Hope
The weeping Prophet was trapped in a dark prison. His joy was gone. His peace was gone. His comfort was gone. His safety was gone. So dire was the place where he found himself even his hope had withered and died: “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD” (v 18). A person can withstand much if there is even the faintest glimmer of hope, but to have a sense of hopelessness seems to remove one from life itself. This loss was so great to Jeremiah he could only describe it as “wormwood and gall” and as a burden that weighed so heavily upon him his soul was “bowed down.” Was it really hopeless?
As Jeremiah vents the feeling of his soul it is almost as if he had gone too far in expressing his grief. Before he can go on weeping it is as if he pauses to reflect on what he has said. “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.” What a quick turnaround! Dark and difficult as the present circumstance may be, Jeremiah knows that the people of God are never without hope – there is no such thing as “hopeless” in the Christian’s vocabulary.
What is hope? The Bible expresses it in many ways. Hope is something that is directed toward the future (see Romans 8:24). Hope is something that relies on the promises of God (see Romans 4:18). Hope is something that is founded upon the faithfulness of God (see Hebrews 10:23). Hope gives boldness (see 2 Corinthians 3:12). Hope gives assurance (see Hebrews 6:11). Hope never puts to shame (see Romans 5:5). compiling these different statements hope could be defined this way: hope is the spark of the divine promises that ignite a confident and steadfast expectation in the faithfulness of God.
Even as Lamentations trains us to give expression to the grief and sorrow of our heart, so it also teaches us what it is to have our hearts strengthened by the never failing character of God and his promises. It trains us to hope!
Questions
- What is hope?
Prayer Points
- Think of a couple promises God has made and pray for them.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.