Lamentations 3:22-23 (Faithfulness)

HOW TO FIND REST FOR A WEARY SOUL (Part 4/4)

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22–23).

When we’ve come to our wits end, we can rest assured that tomorrow is a new day.

No matter what difficulties we’re facing, the simple reassurance that tomorrow is a fresh opportunity to begin anew can mean the difference between surviving seasons of trials and tribulations vs. throwing in the towel and surrendering to fear, hopelessness, and despair.

Oftentimes, we become so focused on the storms surrounding us that we lose sight of how temporary they truly are. Yes, we live in a fallen world, and as such, life will bring incredible challenges and pain. However, that does not mean we have any reason to accept final defeat.

Regardless of the destructive waves which crash upon the foundation of our faith, as born-again followers of Jesus Christ, we know our joy will be permanently restored the day we embark upon eternity and see our Savior face to face.

Therefore, it does not matter what afflictions we face in the present or future. For as the writer of Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us, tomorrow promises continual blessing to those who place their eternal faith, hope, and trust in Jesus Christ.

“I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken” (Psalm 16:7–8).

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SPIRITUAL MARKERS:

The key to finding rest for our weary souls begins with remembering how faithful God has been, and spiritual markers are a practical way of preaching the Gospel to our hearts as a means of shoring up our faith foundation.

Spiritual markers are tangible life experiences from our past which remind us God is real and active in our lives. They prove His faithfulness through moments in time where God performed mighty acts which could only be attributed to His sovereign grace and mercy.

“Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. And Joshua said to them, ‘Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, “What do those stones mean to you?” then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever’” (Joshua 4:4–7).

When our spirits are tired, restless, and weary, we simply need reminders from our past which embolden our faith. That doesn’t mean we ignore the pain we’re experiencing, but rather that we self-medicate with God’s Word which connects absolute truth and personal experience.

For example, in Matthew 6:31-33 Jesus taught that worry cannot add a single hour to our lives, yet we repeatedly succumb to anxiety when there are examples all around us which prove God’s faithfulness. Why then do we doubt God will meets our needs? Is He not capable of miraculously blessing us in ways we cannot logically explain?

“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:31–33).

What we learn in spiritual marker moments is that God gives tangible evidence of His grace at strategic points in our lives to affirm His Word in our hearts and prove that His promises are true.

Granted, Scripture does NOT teach that personal experience MUST affirm absolute truth in order to be valid, but rather how God miraculously shows up in specific and timely ways we can physically see, touch, taste, smell, and hear to remind us that He is real, He loves us, and will always meet our greatest needs.

Bottom-line, personal experiences embolden our trust in the validity of Scripture. Therefore, spiritual markers are a practical means of strengthening our faith and guarding our minds from doubt, fear, worry, and anxiety because they affirm the centrality of the Gospel and testify to how good the Lord has been despite our difficult circumstances.

“Remembering and keeping one’s focus on God’s unchangeable character and His eternal faithfulness becomes one of our greatest resources for courage and the faithfulness we need to go on even when things seem their blackest.”

— J. Hampton Keathley

SELF-PREACHING:

Preaching the Gospel to ourselves is a spiritual discipline of meditating on God’s Word by washing our minds with the cleansing power of His infinite wisdom. Self-preaching reminds us of who we are in Christ and draws us into intimate fellowship with our Father in heaven.

When we read, study, and reflect upon Scripture, our minds are trained to filter everything we see and hear through the lens of absolute truth. Therefore, we need not fear making wrong decisions in life because our discernment is based upon the wisdom of God.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

However, when we’re tired and weary our minds are prone to wander toward worldly wisdom. In turn, we begin to assume God’s love, grace, mercy, and faithfulness are conditional and consequently, we begin to question our faith because our spiritual diet has shifted from feasting on absolute truth which satisfies our needs to relative truth which only leaves us parched and empty.

It is an unfortunate position to find ourselves when we can’t recognize a counterfeit because we’ve failed to study the original, yet far too many of us have a collection of dust that has built up on the covers of our Bibles because they haven’t been opened in a very long time.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:21–23).

How then do we overcome our propensity toward self-reliance and guard our hearts against spiritual malnourishment? The answer lies in our ability to shift our perspective and remind ourselves that the Bible is living and active, not merely historical.

As I wrote recently on 1 Corinthians 10:13 (Escape), “When temptation is at its most critical intensity and we’re wrestling with the final decision of yielding to temptation, God’s Word must transform from merely “ink on a page” to “life-giving truth” in our hearts and minds.”

Therefore, to guard our hearts from the relative wisdom of this world, we must feast upon the bounty of absolute truth God provides in His Word. For by preaching the Gospel to ourselves, we ensure our minds are grounded in the wisdom of God so that we can overcome evil desires which wage war against the Holy Spirit who dwells within our hearts.

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2 Peter 1:3–4).

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TOMORROW:

While spiritual markers and self-preaching help protect our hearts and minds in the moment, Lamentations 3:22-23 also reminds us that the future is bright for those who place their hope and trust in the Lord almighty because His mercies are new every morning.

“Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:4–5).

The dawn of a new day brings fresh opportunity. Our souls are refreshed when we physically rest. Therefore, we can clear our heads when the sun rises because we’re no longer focused on the past or the present which unapologetically reminds us of the trials we’re facing.

“Our sorrows are all, like ourselves, mortal. There are no immortal sorrows for immortal souls. They come, but blessed be God, they also go. Like birds of the air, they fly over our heads. But they cannot make their abode in our souls. We suffer today, but we shall rejoice tomorrow.”

— Charles Spurgeon

It is difficult in the moment to remember that we can push the restart button on our minds. Spiritual warfare can be so intense at times that we struggle seeing past what is directly before our eyes. Those who struggle with suicidal thoughts know this pattern well because tomorrow feels like a distant mirage that will never come to fruition.

However, that is why God has engineered our bodies to require rest. It is simply impossible to function for any considerable length of time without it, so why would we think our minds would be any different.

“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).

For many of us, we’ve been baited into assuming the things of this world which torment our minds will never fade away. Therefore, we refuse to let them go and allow our minds to decompress because we’ve given up hope that tomorrow will be any different. If only we would reject the lie we have bought into, perhaps we would realize that no matter what trials we face, joy comes in the morning.

“Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:32–33).

Keep in mind, just as Jesus rose from the grave, our hope is also resurrected because we know salvation comes to those who trust in Him. Therefore, why would we ever fear our past or present? The victory has already been won when Christ defeated death once and for all, so there is no need to scatter when the enemy attempts to steal our joy.

“I said of this poor body, ‘You have not yet been newly created. The venom of the old serpent still taints you. But you shall yet be delivered. You shall rise again if you die and are buried, or you shall be changed if the Lord should suddenly come today. You, poor body, which drags me down to the dust in pain and sorrow, even you shall rise and be remade in the redemption of the body. For the new creation has begun in me, with God’s down payment of his Spirit.’ Oh beloved, can’t you rejoice in this? I encourage you to do so. Rejoice in what God is doing in this new creation! Let your whole spirit be glad! Leap down, you waterfalls of joy! Overflow with gladness! Let loose the torrents of praise!”

— Charles Spurgeon

BOTTOM-LINE:

As we wrap up this series, may we never forget that God intimately knows us. He knows the battles we’re facing and how much we struggle believing that tomorrow truly is a new day full of fresh opportunities to overcome our trials.

However, we doubt when we should believe God and become anxious when we should trust Him. Yet if we are more precious to our Father in heaven than the birds of the air or the grass of the fields (Matthew 6:25-34), why do we struggle finding rest for our tired and weary souls?

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:5–6).

In many ways, it all comes back to the centrality of faith in our lives, and in whom we place our complete trust. For if we trust in ourselves, we are destined to succumb to fear, doubt, and worry, riding the wave of our emotions all the way to despair and hopelessness.

But if our faith is in Christ, we are empowered by the absolute truth of His Word to withstand the storms of life which seek to destroy us, considering our trials as joy by remembering our spiritual markers, preaching the Gospel to our hearts, and resting in the blessed assurance of tomorrow’s hopeful promise of salvation.

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:19–23).