Lamentations 3:21-41

Yet there is one ray of hope when I remember this: YAHWEH’s tender mercies have no end, and the kindness of his endless love is never exhausted. New, fresh mercies greet me with every sunrise. So wonderfully great is your faithfulness! I tell my soul, “YAHWEH is my abundant portion. I need nothing more. So, I will put all my hope in him.” YAHWEH YAHWEH is always good to all who trust in him, to the soul who searches for him. It is always good to hope, quietly waiting for YAHWEH’s deliverance. It is always good to learn patience and humility from a young age. If your burden is heavy and hard to bear, endure it quietly. Bow low in humble submission, for there may still be hope. Offer a cheek to the one who would strike you, and learn to endure insults. For the Lord will not reject you forever. If he causes grief, he will show compassion from the cascading overflow of his endless love. The Lord takes no delight in afflicting anyone with suffering. To trample underfoot all the earth’s prisoners, to violate human rights in the presence of the Most High, to cheat someone of justice— these things the Lord does not approve. Who can make anything happen unless the Lord is willing? Is it not from the decree of the Most High that both calamities and good things come? Why, then, should anyone complain over the punishment of their sins? Let us examine our path, ponder our ways, and return to YAHWEH’s heart. Let us pray, offering up our hearts in our hands to our God above.