Articles
Lamentations - Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Lamentations - Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Jeremiah describes the scene of Jerusalem after the Babylonians were done. The scene of streets full of people - gone. The sight of the rich decked out in the purple robes and expensive jewelry - gone. The sounds of the market place full of people buying their food - gone. The priests with the animals prepared for sacrifice - gone. The homes and buildings that lined the streets - gone. The king's palace that sat next to the Temple - gone. The great temple - gone. Nothing but smoldering rubble.
The rich and the poor are seen scavenging for food that they cannot find. Reduced to extreme starvation, they boil their own children for food! Jeremiah weeps! It is even difficult for us now to read this description. Our stomachs knot up and our eyes fill with tears.
Yet, out of this tragedy comes one of the grandest thoughts of God. At the moment that Jeremiah can proclaim that his happiness, his strength, even is hope has perished, he remembers again that God is God. He knows that God sees and remembers all of his troubles (3:19). In such remembrance, he again has hope. He proclaims: "The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22–23).
This passage allowed Thomas Chishom to write that powerful hymn: Great Is Thy Faithfulness. We often sing this hymn but picture someone at ease in Zion with life going well! Unless someone reminds us, we don't picture Jeremiah weeping over the ruins of his people and country. Sing it again and try to picture what Jeremiah was seeing:
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Amen.
There is never a more needful time for trust in God then when life has left us completely and utterly destitute! When we have nothing left, we have our trust in God. Such is not based upon our circumstances but upon the character of God.
Can you sing this hymn when your life falls apart? Jeremiah could.
Hugh DeLong
