Devotion
I Have Hope
Frances Taylor
We don't often think about reading the Book of Lamentations. This passage, however, is one that we can all relate to at one time or another. My son died fourteen years ago and his burial plot is a very old one that had been in the family for over 80 years. He is buried in the front row of the cemetery and I drive by it almost every day and often several times a day. It's easy for me to remember the misery, the wormwood and the gall. I miss him and always will, but I have hope as does the writer of Lamentations because of God's loving kindness, and my faith in the promises of Christ that we will be reunited with Christ in eternity. My pain is mine and yours is yours, but there is no escaping suffering in life; and for some, hope is lost. There are those who will turn away from God for a time or permanently because they can't get past the anger, the pain or the hopelessness. The writer or writers of Lamentations knew pain. They had witnessed the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the murder or exile of so many of their countrymen and women. With all of that, they remembered the promises of God; the many times God had forgiven them and brought them back to their land. They had hope. When we are in pain, we, too, need to remember the times when God had been there in the past and believe that he will always be at our side to see us through the pain and bring us to hope.
Prayer
Lord, we will always have suffering in our lives. You didn't even spare your Son from the pain of a terrible death. Help us to remember that you will always be with us with your love and compassion. Amen.
Night Prayer
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Inspiration
Most of us don’t give grass much thought. We mow it when we have to, and let the wild stuff beyond the yard grow. There isn’t much to think about. Yet, even the grass is intentionally made and sustained by our Creator. And if He cares so completely for something as simple as grass, we can be sure that He will care for us who are made in His image.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for the many ways that You reveal Your splendor. Your Creation testifies to Your power and love. In every sprout of grass, in every color of flower, I see Your hand and Your mind at work. And thank You for caring so purposefully for me, too. I trust You to sustain me each day and to shape me into who You made me to be. In Jesus’ name, amen.
