Journal Entry ~ 01/25/18

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."  - Lamentations 3:21-24

One of the great enemies of hope is forgetting God’s promises, so we are instructed in the verse to "call to mind." We are to call to mind all the goodness of God when we feel the weight of the world upon us. We so easily forget this truth and fix our eyes on the things in front of us. If we are going to have hope in this broken world, then we need to remind ourselves that God's great love for us is unconditional, His mercies are new each morning, His grace is never ending, His promises are true, His forgiveness is complete, His sovereignty is over all, and His plan is good.  

The mind has great power to "call to mind" what God has said about Himself and about us - that’s where we find our hope. If we don't, we suffer. Too many people sell that great power short, claiming they can't control their thoughts. So many people in this world are trapped in the thinking of their weak minds, they suffer the defeat from giving in to spiraling thoughts, they cry from the pit of despair, "you don't know what it's like to suffer with this!"  But God knows. And He tells us how to get out of that pit - by calling to mind the goodness of our Lord. 

Over and over He reminds us of this in scripture because He knows our heart so well - He knows our tendency is to forget. Without reminding ourselves of the greatness and grace and power and wisdom of God, we sink into despair, bitterness, and defeat. Not only do we need to remind ourselves, but we need to remind others as well.  Have you ever noticed how powerful God's presence is during a testimony?  It's because we are calling to mind the the goodness of God in those moments. We are told to share our stories - over and over again. It's why He calls us to community - so we can call to mind the goodness of the Lord together, reminding one another that He is at work and His promises are true. Our minds alone can be weak at times - we all trip and fall into that pit, we need our Sisters to shout the stories of God at work in our lives down into the pit so that His light can shine and we can see our way out. 

This verse tells us when we call to mind these things, our hope is found. If we want to be able to face another difficult day in this broken world, we need to have hope....so call to mind all the things of the Lord. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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