IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

The Steadfast Love of the Lord

Date: Jun. 13, 2024

Passage

Lamentations 3:19-39

19   Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
    the wormwood and the gall!
20   My soul continually remembers it
    and is bowed down within me.
21   But this I call to mind,
    and therefore I have hope:
22   The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
23   they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
24   “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him.”
25   The LORD is good to those who wait for him,
    to the soul who seeks him.
26   It is good that one should wait quietly
    for the salvation of the LORD.
27   It is good for a man that he bear
    the yoke in his youth.
28   Let him sit alone in silence
    when it is laid on him;
29   let him put his mouth in the dust—
    there may yet be hope;
30   let him give his cheek to the one who strikes,
    and let him be filled with insults.
31   For the Lord will not
    cast off forever,
32   for, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
    according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
33   for he does not afflict from his heart
    or grieve the children of men.
34   To crush underfoot
    all the prisoners of the earth,
35   to deny a man justice
    in the presence of the Most High,
36   to subvert a man in his lawsuit,
    the Lord does not approve.
37   Who has spoken and it came to pass,
    unless the Lord has commanded it?
38   Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
    that good and bad come?
39   Why should a living man complain,
    a man, about the punishment of his sins?

Daily Bread

Key Verse: Lamentations 3:22

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;

The author remembers and acknowledges his suffering and bitterness (wormwood and gall). He knows he is afflicted in this way because of his grievous sin and the sin of all his people. His soul is weighed down with sorrow. His back is bent from his burden. But despite all this, he still calls to mind the steadfast love of the Lord. His love and mercy to his people never ends. Therefore, he has hope. When we remember the steadfast love of the Lord, we too have hope to overcome all hardships. The author knows that suffering is not his portion. His portion is the Lord. So let us seek the Lord and quietly wait on him.

That the Lord loves steadfastly does not mean he will not punish sin. He does, and he does so severely! But he does not stay angry forever. He causes grief, but he also has great compassion. He punishes in his love for us, in hope that we will repent and turn back to him. God’s love is steadfast for those who repent and seek him.

Prayer: Father, even though we are sinners, you love us with a love no one can ever match. Bless us to reside in the steadfast love of the Lord all our days.

One Word: The love of the Lord never ceases

Daily Bread

The Priests’ Share

Leviticus 7:22-38

Key Verse: 7:36

The LORD commanded this to be given them by the people of Israel, from the day that he anointed them. It is a perpetual due throughout their generations.”

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