Overcoming Hopelessness
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, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:16–18
Jeremiah has been called the "weeping prophet," and he's the likely author of Lamentations. In chapter 3, he believes God is the cause of his afflictions, and he feels bitter and depressed. He believes God is the source of his problems and that He "walled" him in. Jeremiah was mired in depression and ready to call it quits until he thought, "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never c eases; 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 3:21–24).
Nothing had changed in his circumstances. What changed was what he believed. It was like our taking a time-limited exam and feeling hopeless as the minutes pass because we can't recall the information we need, but then suddenly it comes to our mind and hope returns. This is why we worship God, keeping His divine attributes fresh in our memory. The psalmist asked, "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God" (Psalm 42:11).
This devotion is an excerpt from The Bondage Breaker Devotional by Neil T. Anderson.
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.