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MESSAGE SUMMARY
The prophet Jeremiah looked on as the city of Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. But even as he mourned over the destruction of his city, he realized the living God was at work. In the same way, though our world is filled with a great amount of uncertainty, we can still find certainty in the Lord and confidently tell Him, "Great is Your faithfulness."
STUDY GUIDE
As Christmas ends, it seems that the hope of December fades into the harsh realities of January, leaving many of us asking, "Where is all of the peace on earth and goodwill toward men?" In order to bring us hope at this time of the year, Pastor Skip walked us through the rich text of Lamentations 3:22-31 on God's faithfulness to His people.
At the birth of Jesus, the angel declared, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:14). The full meaning and intention of this declaration is often misunderstood due to a poor translation of the text. It should read, "Peace to men on whom His favor rests." It is a promise made not to the entire world, but to those who are His, who are under His favor.
In the same way, God made promises to His people in the book of Lamentations. The context of this passage takes us to the year 586 BC. This whole year was like Israel's September 11: The Babylonians had besieged the city of Jerusalem for eighteen months. Many Jews were massacred, and the Babylonians captured thousands more. The city and temple were burned. Jeremiah, like a war correspondent, recorded that people died in record numbers, describing the horrors of corpses rotting in the streets and desperate parents forced to eat their own children. In Lamentations, Jeremiah wrote five funeral dirges—laments, mournful songs—in response to these atrocities. But in the third chapter, we find an island of hope in an ocean of despair. From Jeremiah's hopeful words, Pastor Skip gifted us with three certainties to hang our hats on in an uncertain world.
First, there is mercy in the midst of mayhem. For most of us, this coming year will include some level of confusion, disruption, pain, and suffering. Yet, "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not" (v. 22). Someone once said that life is simply a process of getting used to all the things you don't expect. Job put it this way: "Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward" (Job 5:7, NIV). Psalm 23 says there is a valley of the shadow of death that we will have to walk through. There will be mayhem, but there will be mercy. Better yet, mercy here is the Hebrew word checed, best translated as covenant love, loyal love, or loving-kindness. C.H. Mackintosh wrote that "10,000 mercies are forgotten in one stifling moment." Therefore, when hardship comes, we need to respond by remembering His triumphant mercies, His ongoing loving-kindnesses. What are some ways that you have focused, or should focus, on the greatness of your God rather than on the greatness of your grief or trial?
Second, God's resources will match your requirements. Jeremiah declared that God's mercies "are new every morning" (v. 23), and they are to be ours every day. Whatever each day throws at us, it will be met with His mercies. However, like the manna given to the children of Israel in the desert, mercy needs to be laid hold of daily. We should give our mornings to God and get new mercies from Him every day. Consider that Jeremiah's declaration of God's faithfulness wasn't based upon what Jeremiah was seeing at that time—horrific suffering—but what he knew about God—He is faithful. He had to stay focused on what he knew about God to get him through those troubled times. The same is true for us. Thomas Chisholm wrote the classic hymn "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" after a season in which he noted, "I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God." Someone once counted 7,487 promises God made to man in the Bible. These promises are our resources. We must trust in His mercies and faithfulness, especially in the midst of despair. Skip suggested that we keep a record of promises that God has kept or fulfilled for us personally, so that when trials come, we have a record of His faithfulness to rely on. How do you remember what He has done for you?
Third, God's delays do not always mean God's denials. Do you feel like you never get what you ask for in prayer? In verses 21-31, there are two words that appear five times: hope and wait. Consider that prior to writing Lamentations, Jeremiah had preached for forty years and not one person is recorded as having repented. Jeremiah, too, had to hope and wait. His forty years of prophesying finally came true with the Babylonian invasion. In those same prophecies, God also promised that after seventy years of captivity, He would bring His people back home—and He did. The idea of waiting means that we expect God to answer and give Him space to work in His way and His time. Practically, how can we encourage each other in tough times that it won't always be this way? Think of times when you have seen God's faithfulness and mercy.
Adapted from Pastor Skip’s teaching
The BIG Idea
Your outlook is determined by your uplook.
DETAILED NOTES
Figures referenced: Charles Dickens, C.H. Mackintosh, Thomas Chisholm
Hebrew words: checed
Cross references: Exodus 16; Job 5:7; Psalm 23:4; Lamentations 2:20; 3:21-31; 4:10; Luke 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 2:13
Topic: God's Faithfulness
Keywords: faithful, faithfulness, lament, mercy, suffering, hardships, pain, covenant love, provision, promise, hope, waiting
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