Could Things Get Any Worse?

“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul: therefore will I hope in Him” (Lamentations 3:22-24).

The book of Lamentations, sometimes called The Lamentations of Jeremiah, is a kind of funeral dirge for the city of Jerusalem. Because of her sins the city had been sacked by the Babylonians and the majority of its inhabitants led into captivity (cf. 1:3, 8). The Babylonians destroyed the temple and the walls of the city (cf. 1:10; 2:1-9). Only the poorest of its citizens remained. They were left to lie in the streets and groan with hunger (cf. 2:11, 12). Some may have even been led to eat their own offspring (cf. 2:20). Amidst all of this one might wonder, “Could things get any worse?”

Jeremiah later writes, “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not” (3:22). Surrounded by the destruction brought on by the Lord Himself, Jeremiah was able to see God’s mercy and compassion. Although the city and its inhabitants had been severely punished they had not all been killed. God kept His promise to Abraham (cf. Gen. 12:1-3; 22:18) and secured his seed so that the promised Messiah might one day bless the earth and save fallen man from his sins. In response to our God’s faithfulness he wrote, “The LORD is my portion, saith my soul: therefore will I hope in Him” (3:24). When it seemed all had been lost, Jeremiah found hope in God. He realized that there was good to be found amidst all the bad.

I can say with a fair amount of certainty that none of us have ever experienced the kind of circumstances that surrounded the Israelites during this time. However, I can say with equal certainty that most of us have wondered at some point in our lives whether or not things could get any worse. Life changes. Things happen. Sometimes we lose our jobs. We lose precious members of our family; some pass away as a part of the natural course of life and others, it seems, are gone before we ever appreciate the fact that they are here. Our marriages struggle because of finances, in-laws, children, and other things. School becomes increasingly difficult. Work becomes monotonous and grueling. At the end of the day we are left to ask, “Could things get any worse?” Hopefully we can learn the lesson that Jeremiah learned. Though the world sometimes comes crashing down around us, God is still merciful, He is still compassionate, and we can always find hope in Him.