The beginning of a new year is usually a time of hope and expectation for what lies ahead in the coming days and months. What is your hope for the days ahead?
Jeremiah, the writer of the book of Lamentations, tells us of his hope and the reason for it. In Lamentations 3:21-24, he says, “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore, will I hope in Him.”
Having sunk to a low point in his soul, Jeremiah remembered something that renewed hope within him. He remembered that as beat down and defeated God’s people were, they were not yet completely consumed. There was still a remnant with a promise of restoration. Jeremiah seems to say, “As bad as this situation is, it could have been worse; we might have been consumed and would have been consumed if not for the Lord’s mercy and compassion.”
There is tremendous comfort in realizing that the tender affection of God is not completely spent; His mercies and compassions are new every morning and His faithfulness is great and unfailing. Jeremiah realized this and knew his hope had to be in his Lord.
Again, I ask, what is your hope in for the future? Is it in your country’s government, educational system, some plan, or an organization? These things will surely disappoint. Our hope and expectation should only be in a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, who sits at the right hand of God. Everything else is on shaky ground.
Sometimes it is hard to have hope while everything around us is uncertain and seems to be crumbling. During these shaky times, we need to remember that the Lord is our Rock. He is our Fortress. He is our Deliverer and our Strength. He cannot be shaken, and we can trust Him completely. Psalm 18:2-3 says, “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.”
The hope of the believer is not irrational. It is based firmly on God, who has proven himself faithful. Biblical hope looks to the promises of God’s Word, as well as, back on everything God has already done and trusts in what He will do in the future. At the heart of Christian hope are the resurrection of Jesus and the promise of eternal life. We may fall short, but God never will. He will always be faithful to offer us His great love and mercy!
Where is your hope? My hope is in the Lord!