God’s Promises For Every Need: Grief Series

God’s Promises for Every Need: Grief

Lamentations 3:19-25

#EveryNeed

INTRODUCTION… http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/k/e/r/kerr_ht.htm

Hugh T. Kerr was a minister in the mid-1900s. He was an ordained a Presbyterian minister who led churches in Kansas, Illinois, and eventually in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A pioneer in religious broadcasting, his 1922 Christmas Day sermon was broadcast to the North and South Poles by radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh… which is the radio station famous for making the first commercial broadcast in 1920. He was moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the USA in 1930. He also helped compile the Presbyterian Hymnal, the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship, and helped found World Communion Sunday in 1933.

Kerr wrote a hymn for the 50th anniversary of the Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which he served from 1913 to 1946. The hymn is called: “God of Our Life.” I am pretty sure I have never sung this song and I looked, it is not in our hymnal. I found the words to be wonderful:

“God of our life, Through all the circling years,

We trust in Thee;

In all the past, Through all our hopes and fears,

Thy hand we see.

With each new day, When morning lifts the veil,

We own Thy mercies, Lord, Which never fail.

God of the past, Our times are in Thy hand;

With us abide.

Lead us by faith To hope’s true promised land;

Be Thou our guide.

With Thee to bless, The darkness shines as light,

And faith’s fair vision Changes into sight.

God of the coming years, Through paths unknown

We follow Thee;

When we are strong, Lord, Leave us not alone;

Our refuge be.

Be Thou for us In life our daily bread,

Our heart’s true home When all our years have sped.”

The reason that I was reading over that particular hymn was that it was inspired by one of the verses in the passage that we are going to read today. Lamentations 3:23 says, “they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” It was that verse and the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the church he was serving that motivated him and inspired him to write those words.

LAMENTATIONS BACKGROUND

Before we jump into the passage, I want to give you a tiny bit of background on the Book of Lamentations because it is important and because Lamentations is one of those books that does not get a lot of attention. The Book of Lamentations is a collection of poems that is normally seen as somber and gloomy.

We know Jeremiah wrote the book. 2 Chronicles 35:25 says, “Jeremiah also uttered a lament for Josiah; and all the singing men and singing women have spoken of Josiah in their laments to this day. They made these a rule in Israel; behold, they are written in the Laments.” We also know that Jeremiah was crushed over what was happening in his country and to God’s People. Jeremiah 9:1 says, “Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!”

Jeremiah experienced a lot of terrible things in his life: pain, sorrow, loss, violence, loneliness, and betrayal… in his nation and personally to himself and all of it affects him. The purpose of the Book of Lamentations is to help the People of God have faith in God in the midst of grief and sorrow and sadness.

That also happens to be the purpose of our sermon today. It is my hope and prayer that you are encouraged in your faith in God in the midst of grief today. It is my prayer that if you are not feeling grief right now, that the Holy Spirit will save this message in your heart and mind and recall it when you need it.

Let’s read from Lamentations 3 today. I’d like to read from 2 translations this morning to get a firm grasp on what Jeremiah is writing to us. Whenever we read the Bible, we want to make sure we understand what we are reading. Words are important. The meanings of words are important. Sometimes reading from a different translation can be helpful to understand a passage. So we will read first from the English Standard Version and then The Message.

READ LAMENTATIONS 3:19-25 (ESV)

Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! 20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. 21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.