What's your soul listening to?
I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD.
This post is part 2 of a three part series which seeks to draw out the valuable lessons that we as God's beloved children can gain from Lamentations 3. At the time when these words were written, the prophet Jeremiah and his people witnessed the heartbreaking destruction of Jerusalem. Jeremiah saw the afflictions that came as a result of God's judgement on his people's sin and wrote down his reflections, which really capture the raw emotion of what he was going through (Lam 3:1). In my previous post, I examined how we can still dare to hope in God's faithfulness even in the midst of dark circumstances. It's choosing to dwell on His unceasing mercies because His love for us is great.
However, if you're a worry wart like me, focusing on thoughts that are true, pure or praiseworthy (Phil 4:8) is an extremely difficult task. This is especially so when it feels as though God Himself has shot arrows deep into your heart (Lam 3:13), given you a bitter cup of sorrow to drink (Lam 3:15) or rolled you in the dust (Lam 3:16). And it's so easy to fall into deep despair when the peace you've always had appears to be stripped away (Lam 3:17). So how is it possible to keep your eyes on Jesus when you're struggling mentally or emotionally?
Jeremiah reveals the answer to this question in the verses above, in particular, verse 24 'I say to myself, 'The Lord is my inheritance; therefore I will hope in him.'' There is something very powerful here. Jeremiah spoke God's promise to his soul. It was a personal promise. Jeremiah knew God as his eternal inheritance. In some Bible versions, this word is translated as "portion". Having God as your portion is a most wonderful promise. He supplies all your needs and satisfies you with Himself because He is the One who makes you secure (Psa 16:5). Another promise Jeremiah reminded himself of was God's goodness and salvation to those who waited for His deliverance (Lam 3:25-26).
Similarly, our souls need to feed on the promises of the Word. This is what David did too whenever something disturbed his soul. He constantly spoke to his soul, telling himself to hope in God (Psa 42:5, 11). My brothers and sisters, we need to do the same to our souls. Too often, we feed our souls with "spiritual junk food" in the form of entertainment from TV, Youtube and even music, rather than seeking real food from God's Word. Now, I'm not saying that you must go cold turkey on that addictive drama series on Netflix. We must be discerning about what we listen to or watch. Is your soul restless from listening to the voice of the world? Speak God's promises to your soul.
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