Dr. Tony Evans

In Lamentations 3, Jeremiah was nothing short of depressed. But instead of wallowing in it, he remembered God. When he began to turn his thoughts toward the goodness of God – in spite of the fact that he couldn’t see God’s goodness at the moment – he started to feel differently about the mess he was in. In fact in verse 18 of Lamentation 3, Jeremiah lets us know that he has lost all hope. And yet we see his hope return when he returns his thoughts toward God. We read:

But instead of wallowing in it, he remembered God.

“Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness. Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me. 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.’” (Lamentations 3:19-25)

Friend, God can take a mess and make a miracle if you put your hope in Him.

He promises that, “those who hope in me will not be disappointed.” (Isaiah 49:23) In fact, God is able to turn things around so completely and satisfy you so fully that He will do more than merely bring you out of your emotional bondage. He can even cause you to forget how deep it ever was.

God can take a mess and make a miracle if you put your hope in Him.

I know your hopelessness may seem overwhelming and you may even wonder how you could ever overcome it, but if you will do as Abraham did – who hoped when he had none at all … “In hope against all hope he believed,” (Romans 4:18) God will honor your trust. He can turn your emotional pain into victorious gain.

Dr. Tony Evans is the pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, and founder of The Urban Alternative. He is also the author of over 100 books and Bible studies. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 1,300 US outlets daily and in more than 130 countries.