We Are Not Consumed

Last night in our prayer service, I shared a devotion based on Lamentations 3:22-24.

The writer of Lamentations, probably Jeremiah, mourned several losses in a series of laments. For years, Jeremiah had warned his people that God was going to punish them for refusing to honor Him. Finally, God allowed the Babylonians to completely destroy their land and carry them into captivity.

The first six verses of Lamentations, Chapter 3, record deep turmoil within God's "weeping prophet." He wrote:

1 I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath. 2 He has led me and made me walk In darkness and not in light. 3 Surely He has turned His hand against me Time and time again throughout the day. 4 He has aged my flesh and my skin, And broken my bones. 5 He has besieged me And surrounded me with bitterness and woe. 6 He has set me in dark places Like the dead of long ago.

These words are those of a man struggling to process the awfulness of his times. No plastic smile adorns his face. For several more verses, the writer detailed his remorse over losing security, respect, and prosperity. However, in the midst of disaster he remembers his God. Then, he wrote:

21 This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
22 Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24 “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“ Therefore I hope in Him!”

The idea I get from this passage is that, if God wanted, he could have done more than just have His people held in captivity. The prophet was blessed just to be alive. While living in comfort is nice, living at all is a blessing. As Christians we should want to live as long as we can. While pain is the name of the game in human relationships and in the spiritual maturation process, God's compassions are "new every morning." God is faithful. Hope in Him and live.

"Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed.