Good morning John,
I enjoyed reading Lamentations this morning (our translation is so good!) Some verses in Chapter 3 stood out to me for their encouragement. Some reminded me of Job and also made me thankful to understand that, as Paul said, “All things work together for the good of them who love God and are the called according to His purpose.” Here are a few highlights that I wrote down from Chapter 3:
21–23. This will I bring to mind; in this, I will have hope: The loving kindness of Jehovah, for it never ceases; His compassions, for they never end; they are new every morning. O great is your faithfulness!
(Amen! We know this from our own experiences!)
- Jehovah is my portion, says my soul; therefore, I will hope in Him.
(I love that my soul, through the holy Ghost, tells me that Jesus is my portion,. And because he is my only portion, I have put all of my hope in Him!)
- It is good both to hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Jehovah.
(We are not saved yet, but it’s good to have hope.)
- For though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the abundance of His lovingkindness
(This is so encouraging. He won’t give us more than our faith can handle. And it’s comforting to know that God is the One causing our grief, and not the devil. Grief from God comes from a heart full of love and mercy with a purpose for our good!)
37-38. Who says “this”, and it comes to pass if my Lord has not commanded it? Out of the mouth of the Most High comes evil and good.
(The message on “All things” again!)
- Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to God in the heavens!
(I love the thought of our hearts being lifted up to the heavens every time our hands go up to praise Him!!)
I had a question about verse 33: “For He does not willfully afflict and grieve the children of men.”
Does this mean God doesn’t afflict a man without purpose?
Sending you all a hug this morning!
Lee Ann
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Hi Lee Ann,
I am glad you have gotten so much out of Lamentations. There is so much good there!
As for verse 33, “He does not willfully afflict and grieve the children of men,” that means that God would rather not afflict, but He is determined to do what is best for us, and often, that means to put us through a trial. As Sister Tracey said some years ago, “God puts us through things to get us past things.” That statement could be in the Bible!
Pastor John