This I Call to Mind

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“I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:19–26, NIV84) [Emphasis mine]

I know I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. If we refuse to acknowledge the tough things in our lives, we will not fully appreciate the blessings God brings. Don’t sweep your struggles under the “praise-the-Lord” carpet. Voice them out loud, admit them honestly before God and perhaps with a trusted friend. Now, pick them up and offer them to Jesus in a sacrifice of praise. Remember the ways in which He has sown His love and faithfulness to you.

This exercise reminds me of the old Language Arts “compare and contrast” essays we used to have to write. List all the things that are the same between two subjects, all the things that are different, the things bad and those good, and which one you think rules the day when all is said and done.

Jeremiah minces no words when he lets us know how he feels about the hand of cards he has been dealt. To make matters worse he is told at the onset of his ministry that no one will listen to his message, but God asks him to go around the countryside preaching an unpopular message just the same. In obedience he sacrifices much for God. You can read about it in the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations. He has strength to carry on because he engages his will and ‘calls to mind’ God’s character. He is confident that God’s faithfulness and compassion will be new every morning, they will never run out.

The apostle Paul also writes candidly about how he and his fellow ministers have suffered, and continue to suffer, for the cause of Christ. They are going all over the known world, in a very hostile environment, preaching about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus paid the ransom price for us so we can have our relationship with God restored to what it was before Adam and Eve screwed it all up for us. The Roman authorities did not especially like the message nor did the Jewish religious leaders. As a result, this is what Paul said about it. I like how Eugene Peterson says it in The Message:

“We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!” (2 Corinthians 4:8–12, The Message)

Here it is in the New Living Translation:

“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.” (2 Corinthians 4:8–12, NLT)

We – a wide angle ‘we’ – are at a breaking point. If things don’t change soon, I don’t know how much longer we can hang on. Businesses are foreclosing, unemployment is very high, drug addiction is rampant, churches are being squeezed and forced to change the way they ‘do church’, isolation is taking a huge toll on relationships and our mental health. We are hard pressed on every side and at times it feels like any minute now we are going to be crushed. I remember the bitterness and the gall because it is happening as I write this. It’s all around me. It’s all around you.

I had writer’s block until the other morning when my friend and I met for a ‘covid-friendly’ visit. We poured out our hearts fully aware that Jesus was sitting in the room with us. Life is hard. How do we lead our people, our family, our friends, into hope? As we brought our struggle to God, Holy Spirit whispered scriptures into our minds. The opening verses of this post are what He started with. From there we kept getting scriptures. By the time we parted, our spirits were lifted, we had hope in our hearts and a spring in our step.

Here is another scripture Holy Spirit breathed into our hearts that morning:

“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35–39, NLT) [Emphasis mine]

So, I leave you with a Holy Sandwich…

  *Because of the LORD’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.       *Shit happens                                                                                                                               *Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

“…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37, NIV84)

God’s got this. He’s got me. He’s got you. You can trust Him. He is really good!

I’ve included a few links to some songs that may help remind you of how special you are to Father. It is my prayer that your hope will be renewed, and you will walk with a spring in your step once again because God is exceedingly good and He is faithful to keep His promises, and He gave His very own son to make a way for you and me to thrive in our relationship with Him today, not just some day, but TODAY!

Because of the LORD’s great love, we are not consumed!

 

Thrive – Casting Crowns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ71RWJhS_M

 

Goodness of God – Bethel Music and Jenn Johnson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvSuGyJQ6oM

 

Living Hope – Phil Wickham

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f2FXxDVO6w&list=RDMM&index=1

 



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