Lamentations 3:21-22 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

This passage is an excellent example of the benefits of reading the Bible in multiple languages. The passage itself is extremely familiar, being set to music and broadly loved, but the Japanese divides the verses, and even the sentences, very differently, not changing the meaning as such but bringing out different aspects of it. To put it into English, it says, “I return my thoughts to this in my heart. Therefor I say, ‘I will wait in hope for the grace of the Lord.’ Truly, He has not sent us away to destruction. There is no end to the mercy of the Lord.” As I have commented repeatedly, Japanese has a standard expression of “wait in hope/wait expectantly” that I wish English Bible translators would adopt. The thought appears many, many times in the Bible, especially the Old Testament, but English translations almost exclusively say either “wait” or “hope,” without combining the two. Hoping without being willing to wait is weak indeed, and waiting without hope destroys the soul. Jeremiah was in absolutely horrific circumstances when he wrote this. Modern readers tend to lift this little snippet out and ignore the rest of the book. When I first turned to this just now I accidentally turned to chapter 2, instead of 3, and what I read almost turned my stomach. Lamentations is an extremely important book to put faith into real context. It isn’t just for the good times! This world can be a horrendous place. Things happen all the time that display the depravity of man and the absolute evil of the devil. Faith would have far less meaning if that weren’t the case. That’s why Jesus told His disciples clearly, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) And this was immediately before He was arrested, treated horribly, scourged within an inch of His life, and then crucified. We would say, “What do you mean, ‘overcome?’” Jesus was able to wait in hope for the resurrection He knew was coming, not rejecting the suffering that would come before the glory. (Hebrews 12:2) We need to learn from Jeremiah and from Jesus, and from countless saints down through the ages, to trust God enough to wait in hope for His salvation, even if it doesn’t come in this life.

This is a pointed Word to me this morning, as I am being told not to exert myself physically, at least until all the tests on my heart have been completed. I don’t like being told not to do my 5K walks! However, that’s a completely trivial thing, compared to what Jeremiah and Jesus endured. I have more to learn about waiting in hope! It’s been many years now since the Lord told me personally to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him. That’s another way to say, wait in hope! His grace toward me has been overwhelming, and I’m to rest in the assurance that that is who He is, and be anxious for nothing.

Father, thank You indeed for Your grace. Thank You for the message You’ve given me for tomorrow, on Trials. That fits perfectly with what You’ve said to me just now. May I deliver Your Word in clarity and power to all who will hear, so that they too may receive faith for their salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!