Lamentations 3:22-23
As I worked on putting together this website I knew I wanted to have a key verse as part of the main theme. I went back and forth over several verses, I mean there are so many options! As I was praying through what verse(s) to put down, Lamentations 3:22-23 kept coming to mind. Which doesn’t surprise me as it has always been one of my favorites and a huge source of encouragement to me. As I thought about it and prayed about it I decided that these two verses were it. As I thought about the title of this website, A Life Imperfect, the more I thought about how these verses are actually quite fitting. The reality is, life is not perfect, it is filled with trials and hardships. Jeremiah, the suspected author of Lamentations, knows this better than most. His people no longer have a home, the Temple has been destroyed. Life at the time seemed pretty hopeless for the people of Judah. Jeremiah himself has been dubbed “the weeping prophet” by many Bible scholars due to his profound grief for his people. The book Lamentations itself is a lament over their grief and suffering. However, we must also remember that it is a lament over their sin. The people of Israel had been in a cycle at the time of falling away from God, then coming back to Him, then falling away again. How often do we fall into that same cycle? How often is our suffering self inflicted? It is easy to get caught in the lament, to wallow in our trials and suffering. It happens to me more often then I would like to admit. I forget the promises that God has made to us. I forget that He is with us, that He uses our trials and suffering and turns them into something beautiful if we let Him! Honestly, I think we are our own worst enemy sometimes!
“Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness!” Lamentations 3:21-23 (CSB; She Reads Truth Bible)
We must “call to mind”, we must remember the Truth that God has shown us; through His Word and through His actions. To do that, we have to spend time with Him every day. Which, honestly is something I have struggled with throughout my life. Daily devotions have not always come easy to me. My prayer is that not only will these daily devotions encourage you, but also keep me accountable to dedicating this time to the Lord. For those reading this, know that you are in my prayers! I pray that this reminds you that we do have a never ending hope! That like Jeremiah says: “…His mercies never end. They are new every morning!”
-Jackie
A Life Imperfect 