Have you ever felt like emotions got the best of you? When tough things happen, all sorts of feelings can hit us out of left field. Anger. Sadness. Hurt. Bitterness. Helplessness. Guilt. Loneliness. Failure. Jealousy. Frustration. Emoticons don’t even come close to what’s really going on inside of us. What do we do with our emotions? How do we handle them?
Jeremiah, a prophet in the Bible, had a ton of emotions. He didn’t hide them! God called Jeremiah to ministry as a prophet which would require costly obedience. He experienced much suffering, enormous rejection, and dark days of loneliness. He struggled with insecurity, emotional and physical pain, and no doubt depression. Because of the struggles of his nation Israel, he experienced such a dark time as a prophet for his people.
Check out Lamentations 3:21-25
“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope;
Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed,
For his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my portion;
Therefore, I will wait for him.’
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him,
To the one who seeks him.” Lamentations 3:21-25
At the beginning of Chapter 3 of Lamentations, Jeremiah sounds like he’s at the end of his rope. But in Lamentations 3:21, something radically changes. When he says, “This I call to mind,’ Jeremiah’s experience changes. He recalls the truth of God’s word. Please note the seven statements about God in this text:
God’s love never stops.
His heart of compassion never becomes weak.
Every morning God’s heart is still full of love.
God is completely stable.
God is mine forever.
He is worthy of my hope.
God is good to those who seek Him. (Lamentations 3:21-25, Northpoint Church, 2020)
Maybe you need to reflect on these words about God. Sometimes we can get so focused on ourselves that we fail to remember the greatness and goodness of God and his promises. He’s not going anywhere. Maybe we need to replace our wrong thinking with what is true about God.
If we’re honest, there are days when we walk through the day with some significant emotions. A bad day at work. Grieving a loved one. Dealing with a physical issue. Struggling in a relationship. Financial woes. Fears for the future. More shootings.
What challenges are you facing today that you can’t figure out? What in your life feels out of control? You may be able to hide your emotions from others, but you can’t hide them from God. He knows about how you feel and cares. I think we can all learn from Jeremiah. In his weakness and honesty, He recalled the truths about God. God can always be trusted, even when you don’t see the whole picture.
Check out Lamentations 3:21-25
“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope;
Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed,
For his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my portion;
Therefore, I will wait for him.’
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him,
To the one who seeks him.” Lamentations 3:21-25
At the beginning of Chapter 3 of Lamentations, Jeremiah sounds like he’s at the end of his rope. But in Lamentations 3:21, something radically changes. When he says, “This I call to mind,’ Jeremiah’s experience changes. He recalls the truth of God’s word. Please note the seven statements about God in this text:
God’s love never stops.
His heart of compassion never becomes weak.
Every morning God’s heart is still full of love.
God is completely stable.
God is mine forever.
He is worthy of my hope.
God is good to those who seek Him. (Lamentations 3:21-25, Northpoint Church, 2020)
Maybe you need to reflect on these words about God. Sometimes we can get so focused on ourselves that we fail to remember the greatness and goodness of God and his promises. He’s not going anywhere. Maybe we need to replace our wrong thinking with what is true about God.
If we’re honest, there are days when we walk through the day with some significant emotions. A bad day at work. Grieving a loved one. Dealing with a physical issue. Struggling in a relationship. Financial woes. Fears for the future. More shootings.
What challenges are you facing today that you can’t figure out? What in your life feels out of control? You may be able to hide your emotions from others, but you can’t hide them from God. He knows about how you feel and cares. I think we can all learn from Jeremiah. In his weakness and honesty, He recalled the truths about God. God can always be trusted, even when you don’t see the whole picture.
Take a listen, Great is Your Faithfulness, with Jenn Johnson: https://www.youtube.
Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.
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