August 30 – Lamentations 3:21-23
Main Focus: Sitting in God’s new morning mercies
Lamentations is a book of loss and hardship. In Chapter 3 we see a man who’s endured suffering and at the same time experiences God’s faithfulness and mercy. He prays for renewal and maintains confidence in God’s concern for him and Israel. Lamentations 3:21-23 is about hope in the midst of loss and disappointment.
Look at verse 2, it says that the man has “darkness without any light.” This describes the severity of the day of the Lord. He continues to unpack the darkness in vv. 4-6. He says God has made his flesh and skin waste away. He he has swallowed up my flesh and my skin. “Swallow” is a metaphor for judgment. “Breaking” is a metaphor for punishment, the speaker in this chapter was broken by bitterness and judgment.
God has imprisoned the speaker (vv.7-9). Even if the speaker had escaped his prison, God made certain that his path to freedom was blocked. Even if the speaker had taken the dangerous path to freedom, God was like a bear waiting to attack. (vv.10-11). God bent his bow and made the speaker a target. (vv.12-13). Like Jerusalem, the speaker has endured shame and mocking. He has lost peace, happiness, and hope. As a response, he prays in verse 19 for God to remember all that he has suffered.
Verse 21 marks a change in the speaker’s attitude. The contentment he remembers renews the hope lost in v.18. In verse 22 he remembers God’s steadfast love that never ceases, even in the face of Judah’s unfaithfulness. His mercies or rather his compassion never come to an end. This type of mercy goes the second mile, replacing judgment with restoration.
The mercies of God are new every morning. Each day presents another opportunity to experience God’s grace and faithfulness. God’s covenantal fidelity and personal integrity remain intact no matter what happens. As a result the man says the Lord is my portion therefore I will hope in Him. God is the speaker’s only inheritance (see Psalm 73:26). This is what the speaker remembers in verse 21.
Discussion questions
– When hard circumstances arise, where do you tend to look for comfort?
– In the first half of Lamentations 3, the author expresses deep grief, bitterness, and despair over the destruction of Jerusalem. What causes the sudden pivot in verse 21 from despair to hope?
– The text states that God’s mercies never come to an end. Have you ever experienced a time when your own emotional or physical reserves failed, but you sensed God sustaining you?
– Why do you think God chooses to give mercies daily (“new every morning”) rather than giving us a massive lifetime supply all at once? How does living on daily mercy change your relationship with Him?
– Where do you see God’s mercies intersecting in your life right now?
– How does looking back at God’s past faithfulness help anchor your trust in Him during present uncertainties or future anxieties?
– What is a specific burden, disappointment, or darkness you are carrying right now? Can you finish the sentence for yourself: “This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope”?
– What is one practical way your community group can help one another call to mind God’s mercies at the start of each new day this week?