But This I Call To Mind

Lamentations 3:1-24
September 20, 2020
Abraham Hong

Sermon Script

Today’s passage is the beginning of a very special moment in the book of Lamentations. Something in the mind of the narrator is happening before us. And it is something very new. It is something very good.

Up to this point in the book, there was nothing but misery and hopelessness for the narrator. The city of Jerusalem was destroyed. The people of God lamented in suffering and in death. The nation of Israel was humiliated before her enemies. And the Lord was behind it all as his anger was poured out on his people because of their rebellion and sin. It was a historic fall and exile that hurt like the ancient fall and exile of Adam. And so, until now, there was nothing but misery and hopelessness.

But something good and new is happening in the mind of the narrator. In today’s passage, the narrator has a moment of comfort and hope. And he says these famous and beloved words in verses 22-23:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

These are amazing words of comfort and hope. But these words come with some very important questions. How can the narrator speak of the love and the faithfulness of God when the only thing he sees around him is misery and hopelessness? On what basis can he suddenly make this turn and say that God’s mercies never come to an end? What is going on here? Where does the narrator’s comfort and hope come from? What exactly does he call to mind?

The answer to these questions is this. The narrator calls to mind the promises of God and his covenant of grace. The narrator calls to mind all the promises that God made to Adam and to Noah and to Abraham and to David - all the promises about his salvation. And the narrator calls to mind the covenant of grace in which God swears and vows and guarantees a forgiveness of sins and an eternal life for his people - a salvation that ultimately happens because of the life and death and resurrection of his Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When the narrator mentions the steadfast love of the Lord and his faithfulness, he is using very sacred words in the Old Testament - words that are holy and set apart to refer specifically to the promises of God and his covenant of grace. This is what he calls to mind.

The narrator calls to mind how the Lord loved his people and took care of them even though they sinned and rebelled against him over and over again. And so he says, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases.” The narrator calls to mind how God was merciful to Abraham when he put Sarah’s life at risk and how God was merciful to David after David was guilty of murder and adultery and how God was merciful to Jonah by having a fish swallow him. And so he says, “His mercies never come to an end.” The narrator calls to mind how the Lord provided fresh bread from heaven for every day of the week to a grumbling and complaining nation in the wilderness. And so he says, “They are new every morning.” The narrator calls to mind how God was faithful to his people even though so many of the kings of his people were evil. And so he says, “Great is your faithfulness.” The narrator calls to mind how the Lord himself is the portion, the inheritance, the reward, and how having him and belonging to him is the only thing that matters in life and in death. And so he says, “The LORD is my portion.”

Dear Highland, all of this gave the narrator of Lamentations hope. God’s promises gave him hope. God’s covenant of grace gave him hope. The narrator did not have hope because he thought about what he himself could do to make things better or because he thought the solution was for him to just get a hold of himself and control his emotions and man up. He did not have hope because he thought about the potential strength and resilience of the city of Jerusalem. He did not have hope because he started to believe that another god could deliver them or another nation could help them. No. The narrator had hope because of God’s promises and God’s covenant of grace. He had hope because of God’s Word. He understood that the grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the LORD remains forever.

Dear Highland, this is so important for you to understand today. Because so much of your Christian life comes down to God’s promises that he has made to you and God’s covenant of grace that he has gifted to you. And just like the narrator of Lamentations, you must call to mind over and over again God’s promises and God’s covenant of grace as you wait for the return of Christ Jesus - especially when you face misery and hopelessness in this life.

For example, it is important to call to mind God’s promises and God’s covenant of grace when you confess your sins. Sometimes when we confess our sins to God, we may worry that God will not forgive us and cleanse us. This can be very troubling. But our God gave us words of comfort and hope in his Word, in places like 1 John 1:9, which says this: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Dear Highland, this is God’s promise to you when you confess your sins. This is God’s covenant of grace for you. Call this to mind.

Here’s another example. It is important to call to mind God’s promises and God’s covenant of grace when you grow. Sometimes we are not sure if we are really growing in spiritual maturity and holiness and being sanctified and conformed to the image of Christ. This can be very discouraging. But our God gave us words of comfort and hope in his Word, in places like 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, which says this: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” Dear Highland, this is God’s promise to you as you grow. This is God’s covenant of grace for you. Call this to mind.

Here’s another example. It is important to call to mind God’s promises and God’s covenant of grace when you face death. Sometimes we may fear death when we go to funerals or when we grow older in age or when we die and the Lord calls us home. This can be very frightening. But our God gave us words of comfort and hope in his Word, in places like John 11:25-26, which says this: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.’” Dear Highland, this is God’s promise to you when you face death. This is God’s covenant of grace for you. Call this to mind.

Here’s another example. It is important to call to mind God’s promises and God’s covenant of grace when we share the gospel with others. Sometimes we don’t think that our evangelism will work. This can be very demoralizing. But our God gave us words of comfort and hope in his Word, in places like Matthew 28:18-20, which says this: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” Dear Highland, this is God’s promise to you when we share the gospel with others. This is God’s covenant of grace for you and for others. Call this to mind.

I hope that these examples help you to realize the importance of God’s promises and his covenant of grace for your Christian life. Where do you get your comfort and hope? Perhaps you are not doing well right now in your life because you are getting your comfort and hope from all the wrong places. Perhaps you do not yet understand the importance of believing in God’s promises and in his covenant of grace. Do not get your comfort and hope from your own promises to God or your own good works for him. Do not get your comfort and hope from your own feelings or interpretations about what is happening around you. Do not get your comfort and hope from other people. Do not get your comfort and hope from money or good looks or the food you want to eat. Instead, may you get your comfort and hope from God and his Word. The Lord has spoken to you. You have his Bible. Focus your attention on his Word. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the LORD remains forever.

Therefore, I ask you this morning to believe in his promises and find comfort and hope in his covenant of grace. God does not change. His Word remains forever. God cannot lie. So believe in what he says about your salvation in Christ. And may you be able to say what the narrator of Lamentations said long ago:

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; 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.”

Soli Deo Gloria