Liturgy for Life : WK 1 - FRI
Lament
Lamentations 3:21-24
Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”
Being that we as people don’t tend to lament very well, it is important we spend another day thinking about it. While we can go through some very dark and difficult losses in our lives, we also have incredible hope as Christians. It is very challenging at times to remember this hope or feel hopeful when the loss is overwhelming. This is also why it is so valuable to live our faith in God in the context of community. Following Jesus with others helps us remember our hope even when we might doubt it and can’t feel it. When we worship with the body of Christ, there are times when we might not even be able to find the strength and maybe even the belief to sing and worship God. But that is when the body of Christ sings for us. We can listen and still worship with the Church even when we can’t. It speaks deep within us at the heart level and can help remind us of the real hope we have in our resurrected Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
When my dad was dying, I was able to get some time off and spend the final week of his life with him. He was declining quickly from the cancer he was trying to fight. As the week went on, I would spend time in his room. He was home on hospice care, and there were times when he wouldn’t say anything with each day going by. One thing you need to know about my dad is that he was always a man with a plan. He was very disciplined and organized, to say the least. During the week, when he was more present, he would want to go over the ‘plan’ he had for one thing or another. I remember one night I was sleeping on another bed in the room only a couple of feet from him, and he woke me up to ‘go over the plan.’ He wanted to ensure I was ready to implement ‘the plan’ at any time. I laughed a little inside, and at the same time, I realized how afraid he was.
The day my dad passed away, I was in his room alone with him. It was the later afternoon, and he hadn’t said anything all day. I was sitting in a chair reading when he called my name. He said, “Jon?” I said, “Yes, Dad. I’m right here. Do you need anything?” He then said something I have never forgotten and never will. He said, “Let's let the Lord handle it.” I said, “Yes, Dad. That sounds like a great idea. Let’s let the Lord handle it.” I knew that my dad was no longer afraid and had surrendered his life to Jesus by trusting him. My dad’s grief of dying too soon and the loss of so many hopes and dreams still be lived with his family found was impacted by the hope he had in Jesus and what he would experience when Christ makes all things new again.
Lamentations 3:21-24
Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”
Being that we as people don’t tend to lament very well, it is important we spend another day thinking about it. While we can go through some very dark and difficult losses in our lives, we also have incredible hope as Christians. It is very challenging at times to remember this hope or feel hopeful when the loss is overwhelming. This is also why it is so valuable to live our faith in God in the context of community. Following Jesus with others helps us remember our hope even when we might doubt it and can’t feel it. When we worship with the body of Christ, there are times when we might not even be able to find the strength and maybe even the belief to sing and worship God. But that is when the body of Christ sings for us. We can listen and still worship with the Church even when we can’t. It speaks deep within us at the heart level and can help remind us of the real hope we have in our resurrected Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
When my dad was dying, I was able to get some time off and spend the final week of his life with him. He was declining quickly from the cancer he was trying to fight. As the week went on, I would spend time in his room. He was home on hospice care, and there were times when he wouldn’t say anything with each day going by. One thing you need to know about my dad is that he was always a man with a plan. He was very disciplined and organized, to say the least. During the week, when he was more present, he would want to go over the ‘plan’ he had for one thing or another. I remember one night I was sleeping on another bed in the room only a couple of feet from him, and he woke me up to ‘go over the plan.’ He wanted to ensure I was ready to implement ‘the plan’ at any time. I laughed a little inside, and at the same time, I realized how afraid he was.
The day my dad passed away, I was in his room alone with him. It was the later afternoon, and he hadn’t said anything all day. I was sitting in a chair reading when he called my name. He said, “Jon?” I said, “Yes, Dad. I’m right here. Do you need anything?” He then said something I have never forgotten and never will. He said, “Let's let the Lord handle it.” I said, “Yes, Dad. That sounds like a great idea. Let’s let the Lord handle it.” I knew that my dad was no longer afraid and had surrendered his life to Jesus by trusting him. My dad’s grief of dying too soon and the loss of so many hopes and dreams still be lived with his family found was impacted by the hope he had in Jesus and what he would experience when Christ makes all things new again.
- When you lament, what might you dare to hope about God’s faithful love?
- What does it mean to you that His mercies begin afresh each morning?
- What would it mean for you to experience the Lord as your inheritance?
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