The Lord Has Been Good To Me

Lamentations 3:31–33

For the Lord will not cast off for ever: But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

If you are grateful that the Lord has been good to you, open your mouth and give Him praise right now.

If the Lord has been good just repeat this He’s been good to me.

For real, if you have had some ups and downs.

Some unsettling circumstances. Some bitter moments. Do me a favor and minister to somebody on your row by telling them, it hasn’t always been easy, but I made it through it. Now just shout the Lord has been good to me.

My brothers and sisters we don’t testify today because life has always been easy.

We testify because life was hard, and because God has been faithful.

Some of us didn’t shout because we avoided trouble.

We shout because trouble didn’t avoid us, but it couldn’t defeat us.

May I tell you that the Lord has been good to me not because I never fell, but because He never let me stay down.

The Lord has been good to me not because I have never mess up, never said a badddd word or never thought any evil thoughts, but he’s been good to me because his mercy enduredth forever.

When I studied the book of Lamentations, I noticed that this book is traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, who is known as the weeping prophet.

It was written after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. when Babylon came in and invaded the city, burned the city, destroyed the temple, and carried the people into captivity.

This is important because these verses were not written in comfort, they were written in some catastrophe times.

Jeremiah is standing in the ashes of his city, surrounded by grief, loss, trauma, and some unanswered questions.

And right in the middle of devastation, Jeremiah says something revolutionary about God:

Jeremiah drops a bomb that would never be forgotten.

He says the Lord will not cast off forever.

That tells me something, it tells us that God’s goodness does not depend on our circumstances.

Here is the exposition, the examination, and the explanation of the Text.

Verse 31, The Lord will not cast off forever

This verse teaches us that what you are in now, is not what you will be in forever.

What you are going through right now is not what you will be going through forever.

I wish somebody can get happy right here.

In a season where everything seems to be in chaos.

In a season of loss.

In a season of waiting.

In a season of confusion.

In a season where my marriage seems off, my family seems to be having trouble getting along, relationships are going bad, my check has been delayed, it tax time.

The plumbing in the house is backed up, the refrigerator is broken, the creditors are calling, spam callers keep calling my phone. The landlord keeps going up on rent and they are not fixing anything. I am in the mist of some chaos, but in the mist of it all God says, this is temporary.

Here is what I learned in the midst of ups and down. Ups and downs don’t mean abandonment. It means transition.

Tell your neighbor, thank God It won’t last always.

Now here is where I got messed.

I mean, I was thrown off discombobulated, Disoriented, confused and baffled, I mean I was a little disturbed.

Because verse 32 threw me for a loop. Verse 32 says, (Though He cause grief), I had to stop, and pause for a minute. Because I couldn’t hardly get past the, through he cause grief.

The one person that I looking forward to helping me, the one person who provides help to the helpless.

The comforter, the healer, my Lord and God, it’s right there in your bible. It says though he cause grief. I couldn’t believe it, he admitted to it. He own up to it. Though he cause grief.

And this is why reading is fundamental. Because if I would have stopped there at the (though he cause me grief) I would have been messed up for life.

Because many times we often stop and put a period in life where where God has put a comma. It says But though he cause grief, (comma) I believe that too often we put a period where God has placed a comma.

The comma implies is only for a while. The period implies it’s the end. So, the scripture says, but though he cause grief, comma, then it reads on by saying yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.