Verse of the Day Devotion: Lamentations 3:32 

“For if He causes grief, Then He will have compassion According to His abundant lovingkindness.” – Lamentations 3:32         

Have you ever felt like God has abandoned you?  Have you ever felt that the correction of the Lord is difficult?  There are times when it feels like He is far away.  Especially when we do something against what God allows or has commanded.  The writer of Lamentations, which traditionally is attributed to Jeremiah, had experienced this.  He has understood the correction of God.  “I am the man who has seen affliction because of the rod of His wrath.”  Lamentations 3:1.  By reading this, it is apparent he is a troubled man.  He is going through a very difficult time.  He feels that God is angry, and he is experiencing the repercussions of His anger.  This is many times what happens when we are corrected.

He does not understand and is perplexed.  “He has driven me and made me walk In darkness and not in light.” Lamentations 3:2.  The idea of darkness points to great trouble and perplexity.  He desired to walk in the light again where there is both comfort and direction, but it is not the case at that time.  Lets look at a few additional verses that describe how he is feeling.  “Surely against me He has turned His hand rrepeatedly all the day.” Lamentations 3:3.   “My soul has been rejected from peace; I have forgotten happiness. So I say, “My strength has perished, And so has my hope from the LORD.” Lamentations 3:17-18.

But as we read further, he remembers the loving kindness of the Lord.  “This I recall to my mind; Therefore I have hope. The LORD’S loving kindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:21-23.  And then finally, the last part being our focus verse, “For the Lord will not reject forever, for if He causes grief, Then He will have compassion according to His abundant lovingkindness.”  Lamentations 3:31-32.

We must understand that we will go through trials, some of which will be to correct us, some in order to do a particular work of God.  We must always understand that God has a purpose for all He does.  In the area of correction, it is because He loves us and wants us to change the path we are currently on and go back to following Him as He desires us to.  The writer of proverbs puts it this way.  “My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD or loathe His reproof, For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.”  Proverbs 3:11-12.  A father who loves his children corrects and reproves them because he loves them and wants them to grow up to be Godly adults.  This is the same with God.  He loves us and wants us to follow Him and be with Him forever, therefore He will do what is necessary to make this happen. 

But His correction will not last forever and therefore His rejection will not last forever, but only for a season in order to help us be who He desires us to be; a person who loves God in all ways and does His will.  So, when we find ourselves in difficult times because He is correcting us, or any other reason, give Him thanks.  He is doing and allowing these things because He loves us.  It is temporary, and it puts us back on the path to eternal happiness with Him. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

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