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.