Lamentations 3:22-58

Every new day is full of promise because God's loving mercies never fail. In the morning light we place our day in His hands knowing that He will use the circumstances that we encounter to mold us into the character of His Son. God loves us just the way we are but too much to leave us the way we are. It is because of His love for us that we are corrected. Nothing
in heaven or on earth happens without His knowledge and consent so those who wait on the Lord will not be disappointed.

22 Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul,

"Therefore I hope in Him!"

25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

To the soul who seeks Him.

26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly

For the salvation of the Lord.

27 It is good for a man to bear

The yoke in his youth.

28 Let him sit alone and keep silent,

Because God has laid it on him;

29 Let him put his mouth in the dust—

There may yet be hope.

30 Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him,

And be full of reproach.

31 For the Lord will not cast off forever.

32 Though He causes grief,

Yet He will show compassion

According to the multitude of His mercies.

33 For He does not afflict willingly,

Nor grieve the children of men.

34 To crush under one's feet

All the prisoners of the earth,

35 To turn aside the justice due a man

Before the face of the Most High,

36 Or subvert a man in his cause—

The Lord does not approve.

37 Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass,

When the Lord has not commanded it?

38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High

That woe and well-being proceed?

39 Why should a living man complain,

A man for the punishment of his sins?

40 Let us search out and examine our ways,

And turn back to the Lord;

41 Let us lift our hearts and hands

To God in heaven.

42 We have transgressed and rebelled;

You have not pardoned.

43 You have covered Yourself with anger

And pursued us;

You have slain and not pitied.

44 You have covered Yourself with a cloud,

That prayer should not pass through.

45 You have made us an offscouring and refuse

In the midst of the peoples.

46 All our enemies

Have opened their mouths against us.

47 Fear and a snare have come upon us,

Desolation and destruction.

48 My eyes overflow with rivers of water

For the destruction of the daughter of my people.

49 My eyes flow and do not cease,

Without interruption,

50 Till the Lord from heaven

Looks down and sees.

51 My eyes bring suffering to my soul

Because of all the daughters of my city.

52 My enemies without cause

Hunted me down like a bird.

53 They silenced my life in the pit

And threw stones at me.

54 The waters flowed over my head;

I said, "I am cut off!"

55 I called on Your name, O Lord,

From the lowest pit.

56 You have heard my voice:

"Do not hide Your ear

From my sighing, from my cry for help."

57 You drew near on the day I called on You,

And said, "Do not fear!"

58 O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul;

You have redeemed my life.

The NKJV Study Bible says this:

Today's world is full of pain and bitterness. So many groups feel deep disappointment.
So many problems seem to defy solutions. A glance at the daily headlines reveals a tide of distrust, discord, and disharmony sweeping the planet. Can Christians be effective in such an environment? Not unless they recognize the pain and perplexities that abound wherever real people encounter the real struggles of everyday existence.

Jeremiah serves as a model for how to make a sober, realistic appraisal of human need. As he witnessed the devastation left in the aftermath of Jerusalem's fall, he reflected on the darkness and despair that covered the city. Yet having looked that harsh reality in the eye, he then turned an eye toward God. He recognized that God was the only hope that remained for his people—hope in God's mercy, compassion, faithfulness, and goodness.

Like Jeremiah, Christians today have a message of hope to offer the world—the hope that is in Jesus Christ. We do not have all the answers to today's needs and problems, but we have the Lord. He is the light of the world, and we are called to bring His light into this dark world