Hope During Times Of Hurt

The school system in a large city had a program to help children keep up with their school work during stays in the hospital. One day a teacher who was assigned to the program received a routine call asking her to visit a particular child. She took the child’s name and room number and talked briefly with the child’s regular teacher. “We’re studying nouns and adverbs in his class now,” the teacher said, “and I’d be grateful if you could help him understand them so he doesn’t fall too far behind.”

The hospital program teacher went to see the boy that afternoon. No one had mentioned to her that the boy had been badly burned and was in great pain. Upset at the sight of the boy, she stammered as she told him, “I’ve been sent by your school to help you with nouns and adverbs.” When she left she felt she hadn’t accomplished much. But the next day, a nurse asked her, “What did you do to that boy?” The teacher felt she must have done something wrong and began to apologize. “No, no,” said the nurse. “You don’t know what I mean. We’ve been worried about that little boy, but ever since yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He’s fighting back, responding to treatment. It’s as though he’s decided to live.”

Two weeks later the boy explained that he had completely given up hope until the teacher arrived. Everything changed when he came to a simple realization. He expressed it this way: “They wouldn’t send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?”

During difficult times it is easy to lose sight of hope. I can’t think of a worse pain than the loss of a loved one. Then we are reminded that someone cares and hope springs forth anew into our souls. IF A SCHOOL PROGRAM CAN BRING HOPE TO A YOUNG BOY HOW MUCH MORE WILL GOD BRING HOPE TO US DURING OUR TIMES OF HURT.

The Prophet Jeremiah knew a lot about hurt… physical hurt, emotional hurt, and spiritual hurt. For 40 years he preached God’s word in Jerusalem only to see his friends and family die of starvation or carried away into exile. He watched as his hometown Jerusalem was plundered, the great walls torn down, and the temple of God looted and burned. Just when Jeremiah thought there was no future for him and his people he recalled the goodness of God and great hope sprang forth to his heart.

Lamentations is the saddest book of the Bible it is a book of grief stricken funeral dirges. In this book you can see why Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet, yet right smack in the middle Jeremiah breaks lose in a song of hope, reminding us that during our darkest and most painful times God still cares about us and His mercy and love are never ending therefore there is always hope for God’s people.

CPS: Regardless of how you are feeling or the circumstances you find yourself in God cares for us greatly and reminds us that he holds a bright future for us.

I. We Have Hope During Times of Hurt, because God is Still Good! 21-23

If ever there was a scene of hopelessness it is found in Jeremiah’s lamentation. He suffered at the hands of his own people whom he loved. He preached God’s word to them yet they ridiculed him, beat him, and imprisoned him. When Babylon came and invaded the third time he understood that it was God’s judgment upon Jerusalem for her great sin. He thought all hope was lost (Lam. 3:18 “So I say, “My strength has perished, And so has my hope from the Lord.)

We find Jeremiah grieving in Lam. 3:20 “Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me.” Bowed down is the Hebrew verb šîaḥ which means to melt away, its the idea “to bring down, to bring low.” It can be translated “to grieve.”

Jeremiah was grieving deeply and had lost sight of hope. Many are here today who are grieving and perhaps you have lost sight of God but notice what Jeremiah say’s Lam. 3:21 “This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.”

What did Jeremiah remember? The character God… His goodness! God is good! He loves us, He is compassionate towards us, and is always faithful!

A. His Eternal Love

It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed.

It is true, God loves us! Mercies is the Hebrew noun ḥě·sěḏ it means Loyal love. This word is used 245 times in the O.T. and twice in our text. Each use reminds us of God’s covenant keeping love. Your modern translations will read lovingkindness. ḥě·sěḏ is the closest word in the O.T. to the Greek agapaō or God’s unconditional love found in the N.T. It is the same word that David uses to tell us of the certainty of God’s love that has followed him all the days of his life on earth and will continue in eternity! Ps. 23:6 “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

It is the faithful love that the Psalmist sings about in Ps. 36:5 “Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.”

Jeremiah is reminded during his time of grief that God still loves him! The good news for us this morning is that God still loves us. In the midst of our despair, in the midst of our grief, in the middle of our hurt... heaven is crying out and reminding us today that God still loves us.... and there is nothing that will ever change that!

B. His Endless Compassion

His Compassions fail not

During his time of hurt Jeremiah is reminded of God’s Compassion. Compassion is the Hebrew noun rǎ·ḥǎmîm it means mercy. Jeremiah realized that even though life was tough, the compassion of God would never leave him nor fail him.

Fail not is the Hebrew verb kā·lā, it means to never come to an end. One can not reach the end of God’s mercy. Perhaps as Jeremiah saw his countrymen chained and deported to Babylon, he thought for an instant that God’s mercy had ran out. But it had not, 142 years later (444 BC) God sent Nehemiah to rebuild what was destroyed and to repopulate Jerusalem inside its protective walls.

Listen to Neh. 9:31 “Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them or forsake them, For You are a gracious and compassionate God.”

This is testament that God’s mercy is not just a memory to recall but is a reality to be experienced and expected daily!

When life is tough it does not mean God has failed to care for His children! God’s amazing love and mercy is new every morning!

C. His Great Faithfulness

They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.

God’s love and mercy is fresh each day ready for us to enjoy! His love and mercy is faithful, promised to be shed upon us.

Let me tell you what Jeremiah is saying, “God’s love and mercy are as sure as the sunrise!” You can put it in the bank and rest easy!

It is interesting that Jeremiah goes from talking about God to talking to God. “GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!” If Jeremiah was here today in this worship service He would open up the hymnal to hymn _____ and would sing with great convection.... “Great is Thy Faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with Thee. Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not, as thou hast been, thou forever will be.”

This was Jeremiah's song during the greatest storm of his life as he grieved his dead countrymen who littered the streets, as his beloved city was burned to the ground, and as his loved ones were deported.

This was his song during his darkest hours of grief and perhaps today it should be the song of our hearts as we grieve the loss of our loved ones!

Jeremiah found Hope in his time of hurt by remembering the goodness of God! So can we.... even when we hurt the most God is still good!

II. We Have Hope During Times of Hurt because God is Still Sufficient!

I want to let you in on to a little secret… God never changes! He love never fails, His mercy is alway fresh, His compassion is limitless, His promises are always kept.

Heb. 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Though the streets of Jersualem were littered with the dead, the princes executed, the king blinded and carried away to Babylon. Though the temple of God was burned to shambles and the city walls were torn down Jeremiah remembers that God is his portion and that will never change

Portion is the Hebrew noun ḥē·lěq it means share, possession or inheritance. It is the same word used in Ps. 16:5 “The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot.”

Notice how personal this is, The Lord is MY portion. Jeremiah is simply saying that God is sufficient for his needs. During his time of loss and grief The Lord is sufficient, He is enough for Jeremiah and He is enough for us.

Its like the little boy who was called before his Sunday school class to recite the 23 Psalm. He began “The Lord is my Shepard I have all I need!”

A misquotation but true none-the-less.

Jeremiah knew that if God was his portion he would have everything he needed during this time of loss and grief. Our greatest possession, our greatest need during the tough times of life is to lean on the Lord!

The Lord was sufficient for Jeremiah, He is still sufficient for us today!

Conclusion: This portion of text ends as it starts, Jeremiah’s hope. Hope is an expectation of the future. Everything around Jeremiah shouted there is no future… Perhaps today you hurt so bad that you don’t have any expectations of a future. But there is… Hope’s name is Jesus.

Jeremiah may not have known Jesus by the name Gabriel gave Mary and Joseph but he certainly knew Him by His name the LORD.

It is of the LORD’s Mercy, The LORD is my portion! YHWH the present tense covenant keeping God!

During times of hurt remember that God is still good and He is sufficient for all your needs!