Lamentations 3:19-33

¹⁹ Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. ²⁰ My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. ²¹ This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. ²² It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. ²³ They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. ²⁴ The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. ²⁵ The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. ²⁶ It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. ²⁷ It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. ²⁸ He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him. ²⁹ He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope. ³⁰ He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach. ³¹ For the Lord will not cast off for ever: ³² But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. ³³ For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

As we celebrate homecoming for our church that has been in existence for 130 years, it calls to many minds countless people who have invested in the work of God for different periods. God can accomplish anything that He chooses to accomplish without us. He is sovereign over all things, all-powerful, and all-wise. He could accomplish what He wishes with any means that He wishes to accomplish it. However, when you and I read our Bibles and we look throughout the thousands of years of human history, we are left with the clear conclusion that He chooses to use people to accomplish His purposes.

Many people have contributed a variety of gifts, services, and commitments that God has used to take the gospel to the world. One thing is certain; a church does not exist for 130 years without faithfulness. There is the faithfulness of the people of God. If people do not serve, then the service is not carried out. If people do not give, then the work of the ministry is not financed. If people do not speak the truth, then the gospel does not go forth with power changing hearts and lives. As important as the faithfulness of people is, it is a mere reflection of the faithfulness of God.

God is faithful. He is so because it is His essential character. An attribute of God that we may be less familiar with is His immutability. That means He does not change. God remains the same. His character, His essence, His person, and His attributes do not change. They cannot change because He would be less than God. He does not need to change because He does not need to improve upon Himself. Malachi 3:6 affirms, “For I am the Lord, I change not.” Hebrews 13:8 tells us, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” God is immutable. He does not change. His faithfulness is grounded in His immutability. The fact that God does not change means that He can be totally trusted to be who He is and do what He says. His faithfulness is the outworking of that. It is His commitment to His people to do all He has promised.

Perhaps one of the greatest passages on the faithfulness of God comes in the midst of one of the saddest books of the Bible, Lamentations. Lamentations is a book written by Jeremiah (the weeping prophet) who expressed His sadness over the disobedience of the people of Israel and the discipline of God for their rebellion in the Babylonian captivity. As he laments, we come to the middle of chapter 3 and Jeremiah expresses hope in the midst of his sorrow. The faithfulness of God is the grounds of His hope in this difficult time. In fact, it is through this difficulty that Jeremiah recognizes the faithful, loving hand of God in spite of the sin of His people. There are two things you and I must remember about God’s faithfulness as we encounter all that life may present to us.

First, we must remember His compassion. As Jeremiah despairs, he declares that there is hope. He is reminded of God’s “mercies” and “compassions.” “Mercies” is a word that refers to God’s lasting lovingkindness. It is His unfailing, faithful, covenantal love toward His people. “Compassions” refers to God’s attitude toward His people. His desires for His people are good. His intentions for His people are good. He has great compassion that is far beyond anything we can understand. God’s love is so unfathomable to our finite minds. When we consider the gap that was bridged at Calvary when Jesus came to die for our sins (Romans 5:8), we are left in awe of the greatness of God’s love. His love is not just a transcendent love, but it is a faithful love. That means that God’s love is real and present in the good times and the bad. It is just as real when He lifts us up and restores us as when He disciplines us.

We must also remember God’s correction. Jeremiah speaks to the great advantage a person has of submitting to God’s correction sooner rather than later. Hebrews 12:3-12 teaches us that God disciplines and corrects those that He loves. Even the troubles of life, He is working out His good plan toward us that we might turn to Him, submit to Him, and be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). David wrote Psalm 119:67 thanking God for correcting him, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.” James wrote, “count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience” (James 1:2-3). In His faithfulness, God is faithful to give us what we need. He is faithful to bring us to a place of submission and repentance that our lives might reflect His holiness as His children. One of the greatest aspects of God’s faithful love toward us is that He corrects us and keeps us from being given over totally to ourselves.

Over the course of our lives, it is difficult to make sense of everything we go through. In fact, there are few times when we will know exactly what God is doing in our lives at a particular time. However, we can look back oftentimes and see His faithfulness to do what is needed to bring us to where He wants us to be. Some of the worst circumstances turn out to be the greatest things that happen to us. It is because our lives as believers are not a random mess, as they may seem. They are directed and guided by the sovereign hand of a loving and faithful God who will accomplish His purposes in our lives. Paul wrote to the Philippians some of the most powerful words in Scripture, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Paul expressed this same confidence to Timothy regarding his own life, “for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (2 Timothy 1:12) and the Thessalonians, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Will you take some time to remember the faithfulness of God? Will you consider today that He was faithful to His creatures, who sinned against Him, to send His only begotten Son into the world to reconcile them to Himself? When we consider God’s faithfulness in our lives, we are left singing the classic hymn written long ago by Thomas Obadiah Chisholm:

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
there is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
as Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest;
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. [Refrain]

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow:
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! [Refrain]

Refrain:
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hath provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!