Remember Before You Rejoice

📖 Thankful Thursday — Remember Before You Rejoice

Most of us know these beautiful words:

"The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease... His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."* *(Lamentations 3:22–23)

But before Jeremiah ever celebrated God's faithfulness...

he made a choice.

It is recorded in the verse just prior to verses 22-23. 

"This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope." (Lamentations 3:21)

Jeremiah wasn't standing on a mountaintop.

He was standing in the middle of heartbreak.

His hope didn't come because his circumstances changed.

His hope came because he intentionally remembered who God is.

Sometimes that's exactly what our hearts needs

Not a change in circumstances...

but a fresh reminder of God's unchanging character.

💭 Today's Truth

Thankfulness isn't ignoring today's challenges. It's remembering God's faithfulness in the middle of them.

If you're facing a difficult season today, pause for a moment and remember:

• God's lovingkindness has never failed you.

• His compassion is never exhausted.

• His mercies are new every morning.

• His faithfulness has never changed.

🙏 Today's Prayer

Lord, thank You for Your unchanging faithfulness. When my circumstances tempt me to focus only on what's wrong, help me remember who YOU are. Thank You that Your lovingkindness never ceases, Your compassion never fails, and Your mercies are new every morning. Fill my heart with HOPE as I remember Your goodness, and teach me to live each day with gratitude rooted NOT in my circumstances, but in Your faithful character. In Jesus' name, Amen.

If these words express your heart today, make them your prayer. Or find your own words and spend a few moments honestly talking with the Lord.

Hope begins when we remember what hardship tries to make us forget: God is still faithful.

🎙️ Today's Five More Minutes is also available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hello, friends. Would you join with me as we spend five more minutes with God? Today is a thankful Thursday. It's my favorite day of the week where we pause to recognize God's goodness and cultivate hearts of gratitude before our Heavenly Father. Even in the midst of life's ordinary moments, we can be grateful. Today, I'd like to ask you to look with me at Lamentations chapter 3. That's right, we're going to Lamentations on a Thankful Thursday. Truthfully, some of the most encouraging verses in the Bible are found in this chapter. In fact, many of you can quote them: the Lord's loving kindnesses never cease. We know this passage, Lamentations 3, 22 and 23. But before Jeremiah says those words that are so familiar to us, there's a verse there, verse 21, that I've read through multiple times before, but never has it spoke to me the way that it did as I have been studying it for today's devotion. And I hope that it will bless your heart like it has mine. I want you to listen to Lamentations chapter 3, verse 21. Listen to these words. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Don't miss that first phrase. This I recall to my mind. You see, Jeremiah doesn't accidentally become hopeful. He intentionally remembers, this I recall to my mind. And that's important because of where he is. Keep in mind, Jerusalem has been destroyed. His people are suffering. His heart and the heart of the people is broken. These aren't the words of someone whose life is going exactly like they had planned. These are the words of a man that is choosing to remember who God is in the middle of overwhelming circumstances. And then he says, therefore I have hope. I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Hope did not come because his circumstances suddenly changed. Hope came because he remembered something that hardship was trying hard to make him forget. Now listen to what he remembers. Lamentations chapter 3, verses 22 and 23. The Lord's loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. Jeremiah remembers that God's loving kindnesses never cease. His compassions never fail. His mercies are new every morning. His faithfulness is great. Notice that every one of those truths is about God's character, not Jeremiah's circumstances. He's not focusing on his circumstances. He's focusing on God's character. And that's where thankfulness begins. Not by pretending that life is easy or pretending that life is better than it is, not by ignoring today's challenges, but by remembering the God who has never stopped being faithful. The psalmist reminds us of this same truth in Psalm 100. Listen to what the psalmist says. God's goodness doesn't come and go. Your emotions may change. Your plans may change, but God's character never does. God's character never changes. And that is what Jeremiah is bringing to his mind in Lamentations 3, 22 and 23. Keep this in mind. Faithfulness is not ignoring today's challenges. It's remembering God's faithfulness right in the middle of them. Remember God's faithfulness today. Remember God's faithfulness when the challenges come. Remember God's faithfulness in all you do. Maybe today you need to do what Jeremiah did. Pause. Remember. Recall to your mind who God has always been. Because when we remember his faithfulness, our hearts begin to find hope again. As I've spent time with this passage, there's a prayer that I have pinned that I would love to offer to you in the description today. And if this prayer fits where your heart is, I encourage you to pray it. Or find your own words and pray them before the Lord. But I encourage you to take a moment and talk to the Lord. Take a few moments to remember not everything that has happened, but remember everything that God has faithfully been in your life. You may discover that hope begins to grow where gratitude remembers. Thankfulness isn't ignoring today's challenges.