When Josie’s ill and aging father moved in with her, she felt overwhelmed by the daily needs of caring for him. The medications she needed to buy were expensive. The caregiving tasks and the wisdom needed to guide her decision-making for his worsening health condition, aside from her other “full-time” job, were wearing her down. She said, “How could I keep gathering and giving out strength, practical resources, wisdom, and love?”
Josie found hope in Lamentations, a book about the grief Jeremiah and God’s people felt. Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians, and the Jews now faced the uncertain days of exile ahead. The suffering was overwhelming, but God promised that “because of [His] great love we are not consumed” (Lamentations 3:22). His covenant love would remain with them, even if they were no longer in the promised land: “for his mercies never cease” (v. 22 nlt).
God’s love for His children has no limits. “God is my portion, my personal source of everything,” Josie realized, echoing verse 24. “I can gather and give out what’s needed each day because I draw my strength from Him, whose love never runs out.”
As we live in obedience to God, we can have hope, no matter what lies ahead. In His perfect wisdom, He knows what we need and will provide for us as He sees best.
How does God’s perfect love give you comfort and confidence? How can you trust His wisdom in providing what you need?
Dear God, my hope is in You. I’ll wait for You.
As its English title suggests, the book of Lamentations is a book of lament. Though the author is anonymous, Jewish tradition upholds Jeremiah’s authorship. The Septuagint (the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible translated into Greek), adds these words at the beginning: “And it came to pass, after Israel was taken captive, and Jerusalem made desolate, that Jeremiah sat weeping, and lamented with this lamentation over Jerusalem” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary). Jeremiah is lamenting over the fall of Jerusalem to the siege of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian armies. In the Hebrew Bible, book titles were often based on the first word or phrase of the book. The original name of Lamentations in Hebrew is ’Ekah, which means “how”—taken from the book’s opening word. It laments at how the people of God have fallen so far from His protection and care. Nevertheless, central to the book is its well-known affirmation of hope in God’s mercy and faithfulness found in Lamentations 3:22-23. These two things reflect His “great love” for His people (v. 22).
