Back to Home Page |  Back to Index |

Encouragement in Our Heavenly Father

Please read: Lamentations 3 and Psalms 121

The book of Lamentations was written by Jeremiah soon after the fall of Jerusalem. It reflected the great mourning of those whose homes had been destroyed and whose hopes have been shattered. It was an awful time for the people of Judah. Their loved ones were captured and deported to Babylon. Worst of all, the enemy soldiers occupied and plundered the temple of God.

All that had represented safety, serenity, and security to Judah were gone. The country was descimated, the center of worship desecrated, their armies defeated, and families disbanded. If you have ever experienced this deep a loss, or have had your security stripped from you, you know the tremendous despair which can overwhelm the soul. Though Jeremiah wept bitterly and abundantly for the lamentable condition of God's people and God's house, he was not given over to despair. He said, “Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail” (Lam 3:22). Furthermore, Jeremiah affirmed: “They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I hope in Him!'” (Lam 3:23-24). It was in the midst of such heart-wrenching and seemingly hopeless experience that Jeremiah experienced the Lord as his eternal portion that can never be taken away from him. Moreover, he can attest to the Lord's faithfulness and compassions when all else seems to fail and crumble before us.

Jeremiah held on to a security which was deeper than anything any nation, person, unions, or corporation could offer. The Christian shall find that when we can no longer stand on our own, we fall into the strongest eternal hands of God out of which we are forever secured as no one can ever pluck us out of His hands (Jn 10:29). We have a safety and protection which goes beyond the best armed soldiers in the world and a nuclear-weapons-proof security barrack, because we have God's very own hands holding, embracing, and protecting us. When you go through difficulties, you can be assured of a safety and security which can never be taken away just as surely as we can never escape from the presence of God. Furthermore, we have the “peace of God,which surpasses all understanding... guarding our hearts and our thoughts in Christ Jesus” (Phi 4:7).

In Christ,

~Overcomer