ANCHOR YOUR HOPE IN THE STEADFAST LOVE OF GOD
Have you ever felt beaten down, alone, and in the dark? Have you felt lost, ignored, and trapped? How about rejected, afraid, and at the end of your rope?
If these feelings resonate with you, may this give you some encouragement: you are not alone, and truthfully, you’re in good company.
While you can feel isolated in the midst of these things – like no one can understand the pain you’re in – the reality is that few people, if any, have endured them more than the prophets of the Lord. In fact, this is merely a summary of the first 19 verses of Lamentations 3 and the feelings that the prophet Jeremiah felt.
We live in a fallen world and face the consequences of our sins and the sins of those around us every day. For those that choose to walk in the way of the Lord rather than the way of the world, this often means spiritual attacks and persecution.
The pain and emotions this brings can be overwhelming. But you don’t have to stay here, my friend!
The conclusion to these feelings that Jeremiah penned thousands of years ago is just as real for you today – if you choose to believe. He boldly declared,
“But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.”Lamentations 3:21-23
Jeremiah knew the Lord, and this gave him great hope in the face of all adversity. In knowing the Lord, he knew the meaning of steadfast love and the faithfulness and mercy of God’s character. He knew that though he felt alone, forgotten, and rejected, this would never be the case with the Lord.
It is a love that knows no bounds and will go to any length to prove itself – even death on a cross.
His Steadfast Love
The words “steadfast love” in this passage are a translation of the Hebrew word “hesed,” which can also be translated as loving-kindness, faithfulness, and graciousness.
Throughout Scripture, this word is most often associated with God’s character in relation to His covenants between Himself and His people.
It is a love that keeps Him pursuing a deep and committed relationship with His people even when they turn from Him. It is a love that knows no bounds and will go to any length to prove itself – even death on a cross. It is a love that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7).
This love is the love of God. Here, and here alone, it is safe to put our hope, because we can trust that even when we don’t hold up our end of the bargain, God always does.
One of the most well-known symbols of this love and faithfulness is a rainbow. Long ago, after destroying the earth with a flood, God made a covenant with Noah and this is the sign He chose to symbolize that covenant.
“When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth” (Genesis 9:16).
Even now, thousands of years later, when we look to the sky after a storm, we can still see this sign and remember His promise. The rainbow points us up to Him and gives us hope that God is someone we can put our trust in because He keeps His promises and He cares for His people.
Our Steadfast Hope
And so, this hope that we find in God’s steadfast character and nature gives us the strength to stand firm as well. When we try to place our hope in other things – our wisdom, our strength, our riches, our friends, or our family, to name a few – it may be enough for a while, but it will always lose its hold eventually.
The only ground sturdy enough to anchor us through whatever storms this life brings is the solid rock of Jesus Christ. Hope placed in Him is firm and unwavering because that’s who He is.
“So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of His purpose, He guaranteed it with an oath… We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6:17, 19-20)
Place your hope in the Lord and nothing else. He is the only one who will never disappoint. When you’re feeling beaten down, alone, and in the dark…when you feel lost, ignored, and trapped…or when you’re rejected, afraid, and at the end of your rope…look to the sky and see the rainbow. Look to the One it points us to.
Get your hopes up and proclaim the unending faithfulness of God. Remember the promises He has made, that He has kept them and He will continue to keep them because that’s who He is. He loves His people. He loves you. And anchor your hope in His steadfast love.
The only ground sturdy enough to anchor us through whatever storms this life brings is the solid rock of Jesus Christ.
Hannah Zentz is a Revelation Wellness Instructor (Platoon 25) living in Loveland, CO, where she enjoys exploring the great outdoors and serving the Lord through worship, fitness, and discipleship. Her passion is to care for and equip both the physical body and the church Body, and to serve and worship the Lord at all times, that all may know the goodness of Jesus. You can connect with her on her website.
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