Sunday Scripture: Lamentations 3:19-24

It's been awhile since I did a Sunday Scripture, hasn't it?

Well for bloggaversary week, I thought I'd do one.

And it's a piece of scripture I've been thinking about for the past couple of weeks.

I spoke with my grandmother a couple of weeks ago. She'd called just to say hello. She's about 2 hours away in a small north Georgia town living with my aunt. From what I hear, they will alternate between living up there and back down here in Grandma's house.

I asked what she had been up too. She said that day that she'd been studying the Book of Lamentations. We talked about that for a moment. I told her that I had read it and it was much too sad for me. (Of course it is, as "lament" means "to cry out" or "cry aloud"). Such a sad sad book. But she was reading it. Grandma has a degree in bible psychology, so I know that she can glean a little wisdom from whatever she's reading.

In an effort to make sure I have something more to talk to her about, I decided that I would read the book of Lamentations. It's only 5 chapters long, and I can finish it within a day.

If I read something, and some verse sticks out to me and stays with me all day, I spend some time with it. I make sure to read several versions of it.

I do all that because something important has to be there. And it always is.

The verses of scripture in Lamentations that I've been meditating on are Lamentations 3:19-24. Here is the TNIV translation

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 Lords's great love, we are not consumed
For his compassion never fails.
They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness
I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for him.

That is a pretty interesting passage of scripture. And like I said, it stood out to me.

On the one hand, this verse speaks on memory. It's not only the bad stuff that happens that affects us, it is the residual affects of the whole issue that is problematic. One thing we have is our memory of the thing... and waking up to the memory of the problem day after day after day. For example it is one thing to fail at something, but the memory of the failure sticks with us, and it may even paralyze us, keeping us from pressing forward and trying again.

For myself, it is easy for me to get all caught up in my circumstances. It is easy for me to be stuck in the circle in which I stand.  My circumstances have a way of talking to me and having a grip on me.

My circumstances include my decision making and the consequences thereof. And if those decisions were bad decisions that afford bad consequences, it is easy to get caught up in that... thinking and meditating on it day after day after day, even thinking about it at night as I try to go to sleep at night... just caught up in the whole "Why did I do that? Now look at the mess I caught up in! How do I get out of this?" 

I can get caught up in my afflictions (what I think of as illnesses and circumstances surrounding it).

And I tend to get bitter about different things.

And that word above "gall"... I had to go look that up. It means bitterness of spirit and having deep resentment.

Sigh. I am well familiar with all of that.

And as that verse said, it is enough to cause the soul to be downcast. To me that means, it can lead to depression.

However, in the midst of all that anguish, I can have hope.

I must know that God loves me, and he hasn't forgotten about me. His compassion never fails.

His love and compassion are new every morning, not warmed up leftovers, but new and fresh. And he is faithful.

I always remind myself "God, I am heavy on your mind today". And that piece of the scripture above, I've added it to my daily confessions.

My problems are not my portion, but the Lord is... and that's a good thing to have hope in.

This piece of scripture is all about choices...

I can choose to meditate on the problems and circumstances... where circumstances = the circle in which I stand.

Or I can meditate on God's love and goodness and his compassion, even in the midst of the problems and circumstances.

One avenue brings about depression and despair...

And the other, brings about hope...

One or the other. I choose to have hope.

I'm still thinking about this verse and the richness of it. It confirms something that I have had a practice of doing as of late. If I'm upset about some things, I open my mouth and thank God for his help in the situation. I ask and thank Him for help with my feelings, and to help me keep my eyes on Him and not on the circumstances of the situation. I thank Him that I can rely on Him for help in my times of emotional and spiritual need.

I notice a change in my heart when I choose to focus and lean on God's goodness over leaning on my own understanding of the circumstances.

This verse really strengthens my fortitude. It strengthens my hope in God and trust in him to take care of me.

So I'm glad I talked with Grandma that day. I found a piece of scripture to help me in my times of despair.

I'm sure she will be glad to hear about that :)