Faithfulness

          Just when you thought that things couldn't get any worse, they did. One might easily say that in this present day. The year, 2020, has been a real roller coaster ride and it's not over yet. We have about 8 more weeks of this year and it is still packed with disease, unusual weather, forest fires and political and economic turmoil. One might hope that there is some glimmer of change in the future as to how we are going to get through it all. Well, there is. Lamentation 3:22-23 says, “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.” 

          Lamentations is the name of this book because it is a “Lament.” It is supposed that the book was written by Jeremiah, the weeping prophet because of the terrible condition of Jerusalem after the siege by the Babylonians. It is written in an unusual style with the first four chapters being alphabetical in the Hebrew. There are 22 verses in each of the first two chapters, 66 verses in chapter 3 and 22 verses in chapter 4. Chapter 5 is not in this form even though it also has 22 verses. God wanted people to remember what had happened and to say in their time and fashion, “Never forget.” Jerusalem had been left in a heap of ruins with devastation all around. There was very little food and most of the able workers had been carried off. Everything seemed to be turmoil but in the middle of chapter three comes a great promise from God. The promise is almost in the middle of the whole book with turmoil, sadness and despair in the rest of the book. Right in the middle, God reminds them of His mercy and of His faithfulness. God is always faithful even when we are not. The kingdoms of Israel and Judah had been unfaithful to God and had followed after pagan ways and had ignored God's warning to them. And so, it came. A siege in those days was a painful experience as there was a ring around the city and the Babylonians just waited them out and then took everything of value. So, now, in their pain and misery, God reminds them of His faithfulness to them. A famous hymn has been written about his passage, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” Things might get worse in 2020 before it is all over but we can still hold to the same promise that was given to “Jeremiah” in that God is still faithful. None of His promises are negated by our stupidity or our ignoring of God. He is still faithful and all of the promises are still in tact. So, we know that He will never leave us nor forsake us. We know that Jesus will return just as He promised He would. We are guaranteed about the sufficiency of God's grace in all of the areas of our lives. Praise God today for His faithfulness to all of His promises.