The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3: 22-23

At the Same Time

The first snowfall of the season happened yesterday, frosting every blade of grass and every bare branch with sparkling white. This morning, as the sun began its long, slow ascent in a clear blue sky, it created a rich orange rim at the horizon that widened and dispersed in the blue the higher it climbed. Here in the country, I watched out the back window a lone buck feeding on windfall pears in rosy sunrise light with the frosted branches of pines serving as a backdrop. Picture perfect. And yet, at the same time all this beauty and serenity are taking place, the world and its ills are still at work.

Our friend who's battling lung cancer is still battling lung cancer. Our friend who's recuperating from a brain bleed is still in ICU, recuperating. Wildfires still rage in California. And governments around the world? Well, you know. Hey, for that matter, I still have a head cold.

Here's the thing, though; none of the world's ills diminish the glory and beauty of this morning's sunrise. Both are true at the same time.

Jeremiah, the lamenting prophet, prophesied and wrote during the time of Israel's captivity and Judah's decline. The books he wrote, Jeremiah and Lamentations, are chapter after chapter of doom and gloom prophesied as a result of the people's disobedience. "My grief is beyond healing," Jeremiah writes, "my heart is broken" (Jeremiah 8: 18). And yet, because God is good all the time, praise breaks through.

But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone:  that they truly know Me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth and I delight in these things. I the Lord, have spoken!  (Jeremiah 9: 24)

When I discovered Your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven's Armies. (Jeremiah 15:16)

Lord, you are my strength and fortress, my refuge in the day of trouble! (Jeremiah 16:19)

Praise in the face of overwhelming circumstances is a victory. How easy it is to praise the Lord during the good times, but how courageous and glorious it is to praise Him through the bad! Without the lament, the praise would be meaningless.

Tell me your story. Lament the way Jeremiah lamented or the way David lamented in many of his Psalms. Lament is not a failure to overcome; it's honesty. Tell me the struggles you've been through, and I'll be more willing to hear your praises of the One who sustained you through them.

Then this message came to Jeremiah from the Lord: "I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32: 26-27)

No, Lord, nothing is too hard for you. Healing our friends who trust in You is not too hard for You. Healing our world, if it turns to You, is not too hard for You. Only changed hearts will change our world. Governments may maintain civil order, but without the hearts of those they govern being changed, they can affect no lasting change for good. Our hope is only in You, Lord.

I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!" (Lamentations 3:24)

Thank you, Lord, for the beauty and solace of this morning's sunrise that served as a reminder of Your unfailing love during difficult times. All my hope is in You.

Daye Phillippo

November 2019