GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS LAMENTATIONS 3:21-26

G. Paulraj

Introduction

In this text Prophet Jeremiah is talking about God’s faithfulness. The word “Faithfulness” in Lamentation 3:23 which means “firmness, fidelity, steadiness, steadfastness.” This word pictures God as One upon whom we can depend. Jeremiah’s realization and experience of God’s faithfulness was twofold on one hand he experienced God’s faithfulness against the backdrop of the Babylonian invasion and destruction of Jerusalem whereas on the other hand he also experienced God’s faithfulness from the sufferings he underwent for announcing the impending God’s judgment upon the hard heartened people.

After experiencing the horror of war, the brutality of the enemy and the pangs of hunger, Jeremiah was still able to stand forth amid the rubble of the city and the bodies of the dead and lift his voice in praise to God for His great, unfailing faithfulness to His people. Despite his personal trials and his troubles as such as rejection, mockery, and rigorous imprisonment for the sake of God’s word Jeremiah had gotten a good grasp on the reality of just “Who God is”! Jeremiah knew that whether things went well, or whether everything fell apart, God would still be God and that God would be eternally faithful to His people, and to His servant Jeremiah was still able to find hope in a hopeless situation because he believed in the faithfulness of His great God.

Like Jeremiah, we all go through times when life seems to fall apart at the seams. When these times come we also need the blessed assurance that God is faithful! Thankfully the Bible gives overwhelming evidence of the unchanging faithfulness of our great God. We can be sure that as we face the storms, trials and valleys of life, God will ever prove Himself to be steadfast and faithful to you and me. To put it very simply, you can count on the Lord and on His faithfulness in all the areas, situations and circumstances of your life!

I. V. 22a. GOD IS FAITHFUL IN HIS GRACE

In this verse prophet Jeremiah talks about God’s grace that brought Israel out of their slavery in Egypt. It was also the same grace that had kept them a redeemed people in spite of their failures and wanderings. The condition of Jeremiah and the condition of the people of Judah could be paralleled both were afflicted outwardly and experienced turmoil inwardly and pushed to the brim of despair (Lam 3: 1-4; 19a VV 5, 13, 15). However the words of Jeremiah remind us the fact though the hopelessness overwhelmed him and his people they were not consumed because of God’s loyal love and grace. Though Judah was down, but not out. God punished Judah for her sin, but did not reject her as His covenant people. Thus God was faithful in His grace therefore He extended His loyal love by preserving the remnant as His dear Children. They were punished for their sins but not removed from the status of being His covenant people. He chastened His people but he didn’t consume them He disciplined them but didn’t destroy them. This truth caused Jeremiah to call out in praise, “Great is Your faithfulness”.

Dear friends are you living in a hopeless condition? Remember God is faithful in His grace. When we commit sin against Him He will definitely punish us but He will not consume us. He will surely discipline us when we go out of His will but He will not destroy us if only we repent from our waywardness because He is faithful in His grace to secure us eternally.

II. V. 22b-23 GOD IS FAITHFUL IN HIS GIFTS

In these verses Jeremiah uses the word Mercies this word is translated “loving-kindness” over 30 times in the Old Testament. It is a very expressive word that conveys all the ideas of “love, grace, mercy, faithfulness, goodness and devotion.” This word pictures God as the Divine lover of men. It finds its New Testament equivalent in the idea of God’s love and grace. Therefore His loving-kindness, grace, mercy and His salvation can be described as His gifts to humankind.

Here in this text even in the midst of sufferings and in the hopeless condition Jeremiah still had the faith that God would never cease from His supply. Therefore he boldly said His compassions never fail and they are new every morning. God was still able to supply His fresh loyal love to His faithful people. It was like God’s supply of manna in the wilderness, the supply could not be exhausted. Jeremiah was taken back by the limitless supply of God's grace offered to him. He could trust God despite his circumstances because he now understood how inexhaustible the gifts of God or the supply of His loyal love.

God’s faithfulness in His gifts doesn't promise us an easier Christian life but it gives us strength of God to face battles and to bear up under times of difficulty. With this in mind, we should always remember that regardless of what life sends our way, we can be confident of the fact that the Lord will give us the necessary strength to face the trying times of life. You’ll never face a situation as a believer that God will not give grace to help you make it through. God is the same today as He has been forever, and the same as He will be forever. He was faithful in the beginning and He will be faithful in the end. He was steadfast in the lives of the Bible characters that placed their faith in Him and He will be steadfast in the life of every believer who will trust Him in these days. God is a steadfast and trustworthy God! He will never fail to supply His gifts as such as His love, grace, mercy, faithfulness, goodness and devotion to sustain His people.

III. V. 24-26 GOD IS FAITHFUL IN HIS GOODNESS

The word “good” has the idea of “pleasant, agreeable and excellent.” It refers to the character of God. This word reminds us that God is ever engaged in that which is best in the lives of His children. Jeremiah calls God as his “portion” “this word means “share or booty.” It refers to “the spoils of war.” Jeremiah is saying, “In the battle of life, God is my reward, my share, and my portion.” When the Lord is viewed in this light, He will be all that a person needs to be satisfied in their soul, Psa. 103:5; Psa. 107:9. God may not give you and me the things we desire in life; but He will always give us that which is best, and He will give us that which will satisfy the soul.

If the Lord is "our portion" (Ps 73:26; 142:5), then we are strengthened by that which cannot be used up or destroyed. God is our eternal source of strength, hope, and blessing (Ps 46:1). Our circumstances change, and so do our feelings about them, but God is always good, loving, merciful, and kind, and He never changes. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb 13:8. NKJV). To build life on that which is always changing is to invite constant unrest and disappointment, but to build on the changeless and the eternal is to have peace and confidence.

Therefore it is good for us to rely upon His unchanging goodness and to wait patiently and silently for the Lord to work and accomplish His will in His time (vv. 25-28). God is gracious. God is great in faithfulness, and God is good no matter how we feel or what we see. But it isn't enough just to sit and wait: we must also seek the Lord and draw closer to Him (vv. 25, 40).

Conclusion

Great is the faith that can stand amid the wreckage of life and declare the praises of God. Jeremiah was that kind of a believer. Are you? During the early years of missionary activity in China, four members of one family accepted Christ as Savior, but the youngest, a little boy, did not. Later he came to his father and said he wanted to confess publicly that he had received the Savior. The father felt he was not old enough, so he explained to the lad that he might fall back if he made a profession when he was so young. To his well-meaning, concerned father, the boy gave this touching reply: "Jesus has promised to carry the lambs in His arms. I am only a little boy. It will be easier for Jesus to carry me." The simplicity and genuineness of the boy's faith made a profound impression on the father, and he quickly sensed that his son knew what he was doing. Soon the youngster made known his faith in Christ and followed the Lord in believer's baptism.

As you and I face the battles, burdens, valleys, storms and trials of life, we must always remember that we are His little lambs and that He is well able to carry us safely through. So, what kind of battles are you fighting today? Bring them to the Father and trust in His unchanging, unfailing faithfulness. If you are lost and need to be saved, you can come to Jesus He will save your soul. If you are walking through a hard place in life and need help; God will provide the help you need. If you are struggling with the flesh and some besetting sin; there is help for that as well. I hope that you can say, like Jeremiah did, “Great is Thy faithfulness.” Do you need to experience that faithfulness today?