“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.” (Lamentations 2:22-23)
Recently I’ve been to consult a specialist I haven’t had any dealings with for nearly 10 years. We discovered early in the consultation that he didn’t even know–about what to me–is the major source of my pain. When I had consulted him before, it was in relation to something that had only developed around that time, something that was just a consequence of the original injury, but at that time, an acute problem that needed to be dealt with.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had to re-tell what happened in the accidents I was involved in and even what types of treatment had been tried. It’s just something I’ve learned to accept as part of my life for now, and while the pain is constant, I have become “used to it.”
Going back over what had happened was confronting and it brought back some of the feelings that had been so much of my life in those early years. It was pretty tough back then.
I heard a preacher describe the book of Lamentations as “the most depressing book in the Bible,” but he also pointed out that in the middle of the book there is a passage that contains the above verses which hold so much hope for us.
Before this, Jeremiah writes:
“I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope” (v. 19-21).
Because of who God is and His great love for us, all that we remember with such pain and bitterness, and even the pain we continue to feel, is overshadowed by His compassion, that gives us a fresh start every morning.
Prayer: Father, life may still hold a lot of pain for me, but I want to say with Jeremiah, that Your compassion and all You do for me, means I can still say, “therefore I have hope.” Help me to live in that hope. Amen.
About the Author:
Fiona Burrows lives in Melbourne, Australia. She is thankful for the difference God makes in her life, and the lessons He teaches her, as she lives with chronic back pain. She enjoys finding time for reading, writing, and photography, and to travel when she is able. You can contact her in the Sunroom.
What is it that inspires you to have hope each morning? What gets you out of bed? A warm mug of coffee, a little one pulling off the covers, a pet who cries to go outside? Tell us about it below in the comments section.
Chronic Illness Pain Daily Devotionals 