"He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, 'My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.' Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me." (Lam.3:16-20)
So whose blessed and encouraged by those words in Lamentations? hmm? Well, don't stop reading, because here are the very next verses--
But this I call to mind, and therefore have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." (Lam.3:21-23)
Yep, right after honestly assessing the dark and desperate situation of his people, the Jews, who are now defeated, have lost their homeland, and are captives in exile, this are Jeremiah's very next words--"BUT THIS I CALL TO MIND, AND THEREFORE HAVE HOPE..."
And what's his hope? The steadfast love of the Lord that will never. ever cease. And His mercies that are new and fresh every single morning--even mornings that we think are dawning dark and desperate...nope, not to the One who knows all and can do all. And His faithfulness that is great beyond all our imagining. Because our idea of "great" surely pales in comparison to Almighty God's idea of GREAT!
And what's the key? "But this I call to mind." It's not just a passive mamby pampby wish. No, it's a conscious calling to mind. Choosing to set our minds and thoughts in a new direction. We've got to counsel our minds and call to mind what we know but don't feel. What we should remember but have forgotten. What we believe but have allowed to be clouded by sorrow or doubt or fear. We've got to walk by faith, not by our ever vacillating feelings.
By faith--not by feelings--we choose to call His Word, His character, His goodness, His gifts to mind. Practically that means going to His Word, finding a promise and rehearsing it over and over again. Or choosing a new soundtrack for the background of your mind--replace that soundtrack of despair or doubt or anxiety with a soundtrack of worship, life, hope.
Choose to take that fear or discouragement or frustration and replace it with His Word, with a worship song, with your thankfulness list!
Displace and replace.
Yes, we have to choose to do it--sometimes a thousand times of day--and we may have to start very, very small...but start. It's never too late to start afresh, and it's always too early to quit.
So today, Lord, thank You for Your beautiful Word. Thank You for Your promises. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your faithfulness.
And thank You today for a walk with a dear friend. Thank You for the spectacular beauty of the leaves in the shining sun. Thank You for a gift from a precious friend. Thank You for the priceless joy of friends. Thank You for Mr. B's happy nap in the sun--
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