Where’s the Light Switch?

Have you ever been awakened in the middle of the night by a sound and then stumble around in the dark trying to find the light switch? You grope around, bumping into things, stubbing your toe on furniture, or worst of all, stepping on a LEGO!!! You know the switch is there but it takes a moment to find it.

Reading today’s headlines we may feel like that at times. Not all the headlines are negative but the vast majority are and they can eat away at our attitude and outlook if we stay focused on them. Groping around in the dark, we try to find the light as quickly as possible, but sometimes it is not easy.

You’ll notice the subtitle is, “Finding Hope in the Midst of Despair.” We are all in a different place in our life. We may be in a place where everything seems to be going great. Others of us may feel a “little under the weather” so to speak when it comes to our life. Still others may feel great distress due to personal circumstances or staying too focused on the news and feel like we’re trying to find the light switch. Whatever stage you are in, THERE IS HOPE!!!

There is a book in the Bible that, if we were to focus solely on its title, we would probably NOT want to read it if we were looking to be uplifted and encouraged. Which one? Lamentations. There it is. Merriam-Webster defines that word as, “an expression of sorrow, mourning, or regret.” The title may be a downer but there are powerful lessons to be learned within its chapters.

The author, Jeremiah, wrote this book in response to what he witnessed firsthand. Because of Israel’s continued disobedience and idolatry, God allowed the Babylonian army to march through Jerusalem. Jeremiah was eyewitness to the total destruction and burning of Solomon’s temple that had stood for about 400 years. He had seen Israel’s rejection of God and how the nation no longer sought after Him. Jeremiah was not only distraught over the loss of the temple and what it represented but was also horrified by the lack of repentance coming from the people.

Look at what he writes in Lamentations 3:17, “my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is.” Does that sound like a man that trusts God? That actually sounds like anyone who has faced anguish and distress and is on the edge of giving up hope. It’s a natural human response to tragedy and unforgiving circumstances.

But, even with this incredibly dark backdrop, he wrote of hope and light. But that hope and light did not come from a government official or the promise of a brighter day from some perky priest trying to make people feel good. He was able to pen words that spoke of hope from a deep-seated trust in God. Here is what he boldly states only a few short verses later, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Even with his world falling in around him, Jeremiah held onto what really mattered. God was still in charge! With the backdrop of the temple burning, he knew it was purely out of God’s love for His people that they were not consumed in the flames along with the temple.

We, too, in the 21st century, can lay hold of the same truths in what Jeremiah wrote so long ago: 1) God’s love is steadfast and never ceases. 2) God’s mercies never come to an end. 3) God’s mercies are new every morning. 4) God’s faithfulness is great and abundant.

No matter what is happening in your life, may you place your total trust in the One whose love for you NEVER wavers and is always available!