There is still reason to hope

Have you had a season of difficulty in life? How did you walk through it?

Reading Lamentations today and I was reminded of the seasons in my life where I felt like God had abandoned me. Life was darkness and suffering and all of the good life has vanished.

With a similar context we read Lamentations. Things are bad and getting worse. Israel is in exile, they have forgotten God and God has left them to their own ways. Then we get to 3:21: there's still reason to have hope.

The kindness of the Lord hasn't ended. Despite the hardship of life, His mercies haven't run out. But in fact we can be remember that they are renewed every single day—His grace is enough for us, all that we need.

When nothing else is going right and all hope seems lost, we can remind ourselves that we can still say "The Lord is my portion." We can trust in His deliverance. We can seek Him and have hope that He is ultimately working things out for the good of those who love and trust him.

I'm convinced that the difficulties of life are required to allow God to shape us and bring us to a place of single-minded dependence on Him. To highlight the need to follow in Yeshua's footsteps.

Will we patiently endure and trust? Will we seek Him? Will we remind ourselves that he alone is our portion? Or will we succumb to our own desires and pushing through in our own strength?

May we examine our hearts and turn back to the Lord! may we repent of wanting our own way! May we remember His goodness and mercy toward us! May we call on His name and remember that he rules with righteousness and justice!

And may we see the day when life is again filled with His shalom!

"But You, O Lord, are enthroned forever, your throne endures through the ages.

Why have you forgotten us utterly,

Forsaken us for all time?

Take us back, O Lord, to Yourself,

and let us come back;

Renew our days as of old!

For truly, you have rejected us,

bitterly raged against us.

Take us back, O Lord, to Yourself,

and let us come back;

Renew our days as of old!"

—Lamentations 5:19-22