Dare to Hope

"Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this."
Lamentations 3:21 (NLT)

Ask yourself:
1.Have you ever cried until the tears would no longer come and your heart was broken in tiny pieces?
2.Have you ever uttered, "Everything I hope for from the Lord is lost?" Then you, me and Jeremiah make three.

I am sure all of us have stories of regret. Stories of disappointment. Stories of hurt. Whether it is relationships, jobs, family, or the lack of something, everyone has a story.

(From Christianitytoday.com)Jeremiah, also known as the weeping prophet, found himself in a hopeless situation as he watched the Temple of the Lord being burned to the ground by the Babylonians. His heart broke. The elements of the Temple such as the water basin and lamp snuffers were stolen, taken to Babylon to be used to worship false gods.

Jeremiah cried until no more tears would come (Lamentations 2:11, NLT). His heart was broken for Jerusalem and for God's people, his people. In anguish he lamented the words, "Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost" (Lamentations 3:18, NLT).

Then, out of the midst of his despair, he dared. He dared to hope in what he remembered.



He Remembered
The remembrance changed his perspective on his present situation. Jeremiah dared to hope. So can we,regardless of our circumstances. Jeremiah remembered this about his covenant Lord:

• His unfailing love for him
• His new mercies meant for him
• His never ending faithfulness toward him

God's Word is alive and active.
It is designed to transform us from the inside out. Reading God's Word brings you back to truth. Scripture is truer than anything we think or feel. During my desperate nights I longed for my circumstances to be different. But when I remembered God's faithfulness and mercies to me, my expression changed. My hope was back.

Did the circumstances surrounding my sorrows change because I remembered? No.
What changed was my outlook.
Hope means to wait with expectation, and this is what I chose to do during those hard nights.

Are you in need of hope today?
Will you choose to remember His faithfulness, love, and mercy despite the despair and destruction around you?
Will you dare to hope?

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