IBS Lamentations 3:22-26 (11-24-14)

Inductive Bible Study for Lamentations 3:22-26 (11-24-14)

"Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

I read this passage about a week ago and I was struck at how incredible the love of God is. I love the song by Ascend the Hill called The Love of God. The chorus goes "Could we with ink the oceans fill and were the skies of parchment made, were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade, to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry, nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky." With all the resources we have in this world, we couldn't write the love of God in its entirety. I can't comprehend it, nor should I! There would be no mystery or awe if we could understand everything about God.

So the first part of this passage says that we are not consumed because of Gods mercy and compassion. We are a people who are constantly in defiance of God and we deserve to be consumed by His anger. So why does He continue to be patient and allow us to spit in His face? It's because He gives us all a chance - usually many chances - to turn from our sin and throw ourselves on His compassion. The next part says that His mercies are new every morning and His faithfulness is great. We get a "second chance" every single morning, all the days of our lives. I'm reminded of 2 Timothy 2:13, which says "If we are faithless, He remains faithful". Even when we completely reject Him, He promises to love us and forgive us if we ask.

The next part says that God is our portion and we hope in Him. All of Him is so much more than enough for us! Hope is to believe and trust that something is going to happen. We have confidence that when God promises us something, it will happen. I was reading in 1 Peter and I came across 5:11. It says "Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord - that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful." Job's life is an example of how God is good to those who seek Him - Job waited quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

I struggle every day with fear, anger and anxiety... but God. I am waiting on the Lord, I am seeking Him and I hope in His salvation. God is my portion - He is my everything. I am not going to let these things move me because I know where my Help comes from! I may not know where I'm going or what I'm doing, but I do know that nothing is too hard for the Lord. My God is faithful and I trust in Him.