But this I call to mind and therefore I have hope. Lamentations 3:21
From our scripture today we find Jeremiah lamenting his circumstances and declares from Lamentations 3:18. ‘my endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord’,
Jeremiah continues with his prayer;
Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. Verse 19.
I want you to note the thing that Jeremiah is faced with. His endurance and hope are diminished because of what He is remembering. "My soul continually remembers it" His focus on his affliction, wanderings, wormwood and gall is literally discouraging him. It isn’t until Jeremiah, like King David who encouraged himself in the Lord, shifts his remembrance and calls to mind the mercies and faithfulness of God that his hope is restored.
In an hour where the Lord is calling for much endurance from His people, we are sorely tempted to yield to the pressures and look for a way of escape. Yet the very word endurance demands ‘a remaining under’. Endurance is the ability to remain stedfast to the Lord in whatever situation we find ourselves. It is in calling to mind who He is and what He has done and what He is willing to do that breathes hope into our very being.
Our exhortation to remember Him is foundational to the longevity of our life of faith. It is through our rehearsing of things past, present and hoped for that we find the strength needed to carry on. Our acts of worship are a stirring up of our pure minds to remember the exceeding greatness of our God. As we celebrate Him, we displace us. Our fears and unbelief, our doubts and pain, and darkness flees because we have engaged with Light.
Rehearsing the past mercies and faithfulness of God holds us through everything. We see, hear and read the testimonies revealing His very nature. This brings joy to our hearts and hope rises. Who He has been to others, He will be to me. The leper who meets Jesus knows Jesus’ ability. He has seen and heard and it has drawn him to Jesus. His question is, ‘Will you do this for me’? As he is met with assurance and provision, we learn the heart of God for all. He is unwilling for any to perish.
This I call to mind and have hope! What is it I am to remember? The ‘hesed’ of the Lord. His unfailing, stedfast love for His people. His covenant established. His word kept. His promise fulfilled. Jeremiah calls to mind who His God is, merciful and gracious, mercies never ending because of His great faithfulness. I can hear Jeremiah’s proclamation though his trial, “The Lord is my portion!”
As we choose to be mindful of the Lord as our portion we are assured of hope.