In the midst of sorrow and devastation, Jeremiah writer calls the people to… HOPE… in THE LORD. Hope, means to have “confident expectation” of Him and gives “fuel” for such hope by THINKING RIGHT about The LORD…He remembers the LORD, His character.
Biblical “Hope” is Certainty! It is “confident expectation…” in God… The strength of Hope is in God’s Ability and RELIABILITY to Fulfill All Of His Promises! It is the Guarantee of a future Good!
Note, it begins with THINKING RIGHT about the LORD and His Character, and what he knows to be TRUE of Him…
“This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have HOPE.
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I have HOPE in Him”-{Lam 3:21-24}
“THIS I RECALL TO MIND…. THEREFORE I HAVE…HOPE”
NOTE, Who and What About The LORD He recalls to mind and THINKS about…
1.- “I RECALL TO MY MIND… THE LORD…THEREFORE I HAVE HOPE…
2.- “I RECALL TO MY MIND… THE LORD’S… LOVINGKINDNESS THEREFORE I HAVE HOPE…
The word speaks of “GREAT LOVE.” The Hebrew word used for this love is “hesed,” it speaks of the constant love that God shows to His people because of His covenant relationship with them. Whether translated “lovingkindness,” “unfailing love,” “constant goodness,” or simply, “love,” the word always refers to God’s loyalty.
3.- I RECALL TO MY MIND… THE LORD’S COMPASSION…THEREFORE I HAVE HOPE…
“The word speaks of His “MERCIES.” The Hebrew word for “New”is “chadosh” which means “BRAND NEW.” It is not a recycling, or a restoration, it is something different, something that is “brand new.” Every morning God expresses His love, tender mercies to us. They are “Brand New,” from Him to you to experience of Him.
4.- I RECALL TO MY MIND… THE LORD’S …FAITHFULNESS…THEREFORE I HAVE HOPE…
The word speaks of “PERMANENCE, RELIABILITY.”
5. – I RECALL TO MY MIND… THE LORD IS MY PORTION…THEREFORE I HAVE HOPE…IN…HIM!
His SATISFACTION is in the personal relationship he has with the LORD,… “MY Portion.”
Despair focus on the difficulties as insurmountable… Hope focus on THE LORD Who He is and WHAT He is and finds HOPE in HIM…and it begins with THINKING right about Him.
FILL in The Blank, “This I Recall To Mind Therefore I Have______”
Think about what it is that you are constantly recalling to your mind? What is the end product? What is your thinking producing?
“This I Recall To Mind Therefore I Have… Fear.”
“This I Recall To My Mind Therefore I Have… Anxieties”
“This I Recall To My Mind Therefore I Have… Despair”
“This I Recall To My Mind Therefore I Have… Doubts”
“This I Recall To My Mind Therefore I Have… Bitterness”
“This I Recall To My Mind Therefore I Have… Anger”
“This I Recall To My Mind Therefore I Have… Resentment”
“This I Recall To My Mind Therefore I Have… Hopelessness.”
Is what you are Thinking upon producing Fear, anxieties, despair, doubts, diverting from the LORD, His work…or HOPE amidst the difficulties, sorrows of life? It is a battle for our thought life and we must choose of who or what we give our thoughts continually to. Paul wrote “whatever is TRUE…let your MIND Dwell on these things…”-{Phil 4:8}. Thinking on Truth and applying it transforms our thinking and produces HOPE in HIM! What you continually give your thoughts to influences your mind, emotions and choices.
YOU HAVE A HISTORY LESSON TO THINK UPON AND TELL;
If I have a problem and I focus my mind on that and exclude the LORD then I will have no hope that is certain, but a hopelessness, my mind will sink down into despair or be agitated, troubled with fears and anxieties. The evil one seeks to tempt us to despair, divert us from dependence upon the LORD and setting our mind on Him, His Word so as to know His will and apply His Wisdom to our life and circumstances. You have to train your mind to THINK on things above and His Word is the source He has supplied for you to do so! – {Read Col 3:1-3}. Recall His dealings with you of His Great Love, His Compassion, His Faithfulness to you.
Ask Him to remind you how He has manifested each of these to you and you will find the Holy Spirit will recall to you so as you can have HOPE in Him and a heart of praise and thanks to Him. We will have problems, some of our own choosing, others not, but in each and EVERYONE WE HAVE HIM… and we have a history from His Word to recall His Great Love, compassion, faithfulness to others and we have a History from His dealings with us in our own lives of His great Love, compassion, Faithfulness to us and as we meditate upon Him and His Great Love, Compassion, Faithfulness to us we too like the writer in lamentations 3 will have “HOPE…IN HIM!” You have a History with God… THINK on it and TESTIFY to others of Him and His dealings with you! At a young age we are thought “History” in school, of events, time, people on this earth. But you have a History with the Creator and Redeemer and His intimate dealings in your life. Share your “History” with others.You have a story to tell of The God of Hope’s dealings in your life and in doing so may He encourage and ignite Godly Hope in them as they hear the Scriptures and His dealings with you in your “History” which is “HIS…STORY” in your life. Glory to God, who so loved you He gave His Son to die for you and bring you to Himself ultimately.
Every day is a HISTORY Lesson of God’s Great love, Compassion, Faithfulness to… you!
You have a History Lesson to THINK upon and TELL others of concerning … Him!
The purpose of our mind is to love God with ultimately.-{Luke 10;27.}. And part of cultivating a mind that loves Him, is to know Him and think right about Him as revealed in His Word. As you read His Word underline words that describe Him and before you know it you will build a character list for you to use in praise to Him, confidence to trust Him and… Hope in Him.
“This I Recall To My Mind, Therefore I Have Hope…In Him.”-{v 21,24}
Each Day’s Kindness Are Tailored For You For That Day by The LORD Himself!
CHOOSE Whom and What you continually THINK ON TODAY…in Order to Have HOPE in the LORD. Take the verses in Lamentations 3:21- 24 write them out and place somewhere you can see, maybe a bathroom mirror and as you brush your teeth, look at each word, phrase and if you did this daily for a month you would have read it multitude of times and the Holy Spirit CAN bring to your mind TRUTH that TRANSFORMS and Produces in you, HOPE in The LORD.
“This I Recall To My Mind….” What is it you RECALL to Mind?
RECOGNIZE the thoughts that lead you away from Him and leave you with self or the circumstances and not Him.
REPLACE the thoughts with TRUTH and…
REPLAY again and again the TRUTH in Your mind… “This I recall to My mind, Therefore I have… HOPE.”
ASSIGNMENT;
Write down 4 ways in your history with God He has shown you His Great Love, Compassion, Faithfulness to you… as “fuel” for your faith, and TO CULTIVATE Hope in Him… and praise Him for each one.
PRAYER FOR HOPE; My prayer for you, and one you can pray for yourself and perhaps pray for three other people , substituting their name with the word “you” in the verse is Romans 15:13- “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. “
“This I recall to My mind, Therefore I have… hope…in HIM”