Daily devotional · November 6
Hope in the Middle of Ruin
“Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall. Surely my soul remembers and is humbled within me. Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.” The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”
This book was written among the ruins of a devastated city, and the author does not pretend otherwise. He describes bitterness and a weary soul in honest terms. Then, in the middle of the pain, he deliberately calls something to mind: God's steadfast love has not run out, and His compassion is renewed each morning. Hope here is not a feeling that arrives on its own; it is a choice to remember who God is while the loss is still fresh. If you are grieving today, you do not need to hurry past the pain, and you do not need to fake a smile. This passage gives you permission to lament and to hope in the same breath. Today, say one honest sentence to God about what hurts, then one sentence about His faithfulness. If the weight feels too heavy, please talk to a pastor, a counselor or a trusted friend, and in a crisis reach out to a local crisis line.
Prayer
Lord, I bring You my sorrow just as it is. Meet me with Your mercy this morning. Amen.