Great is Your Faithfulness

Intro

It’s hard for me to explain just how much I didn’t want to be back to a virtual service.

Just for this week! Look for an announcement next week.

Take advantage of other ways to connect (Sunday mornings uniquely affected).

This a brand new thing that is bringing me to lament.

When will this ever end!?!

Hope is not to be found in circumstances, but in who God is.

Read Lamentations 3:21 - 24 and pray.

God is Faithful to His People

Look back to be confident about what is ahead

The people of Israel constantly used the story of the Exodus to remind them of God’s faithfulness.

The song “Great Things” that we sing is exactly this type of reminder.

“You've been faithful through every storm You'll be faithful forevermore You have done great things And I know You will do it again For Your promise is "Yes and Amen" You will do great things God, You do great things”

This is an exercise that we all need to do together and on a personal level.

At church = Shared stories last September; celebrated milestones this September.

All of these things remind us of God’s faithfulness to our church family. We need this right now!

Personally = How has God shown Himself faithful to you in the past? Remembering these moments can give you the confidence to trust God in the present and the future.

Our passage also shows what God’s faithfulness looks like; what we are looking for in our time of need.

Proven by his steadfast love

Steadfast love = loyalty; God will NEVER abandon His people (never ceases)

In the Old Covenant, God would stay true to His promise even as the people broke theirs.

The character of God is still the same today, meaning He is completely loyal in His love to you, too.

Loyalty is often expressed in marriage (Not always, of course!)

In fact, God used the image of a hurt husband at the hands of an unfaithful wife to describe how He felt when Israel was disloyal to Him (Hosea)

*Use Al Heinrichs as example of steadfast love (loyalty)*

Experienced in his new morning mercies

mercy = compassion; how we feel and experience the love of God.

Where God’s loyal love is constant and unchanging, His compassionate love that we experience is BRAND NEW every day.

This is why we can talk about a relationship with God; it is dynamic, fresh, exciting… adventurous!

At least, that’s what it can be like. Does this describe your relationship with God, and how you experience His love?

*Share how “New Morning Mercies” felt like 6 lessons repeated*

Are we looking to experience God’s love in new and exciting ways, or have we put God in a box?

*Tell story of Karen’s daily love letters while on tour*

Pray and ask God to reveal new morning mercies to you in your life and relationship with Him.

God is All That We Need

The Lord is my portion = allotment of Promised Land

So much of Israel (and Judah’s) identity and hope was tied to the Promised Land.

To lose the land (in exile) was to lose their “portion,” their identity as God’s people, their hope for the future.

When the author says, “The Lord is my portion,” he is stating that God is enough, even though the Promised Land is lost.

He is sufficient. It is God’s faithfulness that provides all that we need, not the land, or other things He may bless us with.

Even when these things are taken away, God is enough.

*Talk about Mom’s love of Psalm 23 in the NLT; I have all that I need*

We Have Hope!

Hope doesn’t come from a change in circumstances, but from the character of God Himself.

For the author, Jerusalem is still destroyed, the people of Judah are still exiled… it is remembering God’s faithfulness that causes Him to hope.

What does he call to mind? The loyal, compassionate, faithful God. “Therefore, I will hope in him.”

Likewise, our hope is not found in a change of circumstances.

Though that would certainly be nice! And may eventually come.

When we are in deep lament, we are called to take our eyes off of what we have lost and put them squarely on who God is.

He is loyal, loving and faithful. He is all that we need.

What sorrow is threatening to take your focus off of God?

*Share challenge of being too preoccupied by COVID*

Let us look to the Lord, and hope in His faithfulness.

In our hope we wait on the Lord, leaning into His faithfulness and watching Him work.

If you keep reading Lamentations 3, the call to wait is what happens next.

The people of Judah waited, and all that they hoped for about God was proven true.

Cf. Nehemiah 9:30-33.

The hope of the people was not misplaced! They waited on the Lord and He did great things...

Conclusion

…Which brings us back to the beginning. We look back to what God has done to give us confidence for what He will do.

So when we lament biblically, we:

Acknowledge that the Lord is in the right (sovereign)

Pour out our hearts like water (knowing God listens)

Find our hope in the never-failing faithfulness of God

And wait for Him to restore us (next week).

Pray.