December 3rd, 2022
God’s Steadfast Love Endures
Lamentations 3:1-24
“I am one who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; against me alone he turns his hand,again and again, all day long. He has made my flesh and my skin waste away, and broken my bones; he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; he has made me sit in darkness like the dead of long ago. He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has put heavy chains on me; though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; he has blocked my ways with hewn stones, he has made my paths crooked. He is a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in hiding; he led me off my way and tore me to pieces; he has made me desolate; he bent his bow and set meas a mark for his arrow. He shot into my vitals the arrows of his quiver; I have become the laughingstock of all my people, the object of their taunt-songs all day long. He has filled me with bitterness, he has sated me with wormwood. He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, “Gone is my glory,and all that I had hoped for from the Lord.” The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall! My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,“therefore I will hope in him.”
Lamentations was written by the prophet Jeremiah and consists of five poems (chapters) in the form of laments for Judah and Jerusalem when they were invaded and devastated by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, for the sufferings of the population, and for the poet himself during and after the catastrophe. The prophet Jeremiah also prophesied the birth of Jesus. *See references below for links.
“’The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In His days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Savior’”
(Jeremiah 23:5-6).
The New Day
As I reflect on this first week of advent and the preparation being made to welcome the birth of Jesus; I am reminded each day we have is a gift. It is a precious, priceless gift from God. We can choose to hold on tight to it or we can step out from the darkness and shadows into the light. The light is our invitation to seek God, share God and grow closer to God.
Yesterday I had the great pleasure of attending a Christmas luncheon with seventeen ladies associated with the church that I am a member. These women are truly gifts from God and they see me, really see me and love me. I was able to visit with women I had not seen in a very long time, friendship that knows no boundaries of time, love and conversations flow like a river. Each woman brings something so rare and beautiful, their gifts and talents filled my heart to overflowing. As I left our gathering, my heart was full from their many gifts, to mention but a few; smiles that actually made their eyes glisten like precious stones, their hugs were warm and inviting, my worries and stresses seemed to just slide off my shoulders simply by being in their company. I am so blessed to have so many caring, loving and godly women in my life.
“I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.”
Ps. 9:1
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
James 1:17
This week I have shared…
• Night Vision (https://charlotteannrobinson.com/2022/11/27/first-sunday-of-advent-2022/)
• Annunciation (https://charlotteannrobinson.com/2022/11/28/first-monday-of-advent-2022/)
• Choosing (https://charlotteannrobinson.com/2022/11/29/first-tuesday-advent-2022/)
• Shadow Goddess (https://charlotteannrobinson.com/2022/11/30/first-wednesday-advent-2022/)
• The Night I Landed (https://charlotteannrobinson.com/2022/12/01/first-thursday-advent-2022/)
• Blessing For A Lonely Night (https://charlotteannrobinson.com/2022/12/02/first-friday-advent-2022/)
• A New Day •
I love verse 22 and 23 in Lamentations 3, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
Welcome To A Brand New Day
~Charlotte, Seeker of unexpected Comfort, Happiness, Joy and Patience.
References:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/biblical-literature/Lamentations-of-Jeremiah
https://www.ibelieve.com/faith/prophecies-that-foretold-jesus-birth.html?amp=1
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Lam.3.22,Lam.3.23&version=KJV
HOPE SEEKER 
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