Letting go of things that are holding us back is a process. It starts with a recognition that there is something in our lives that needs to be let go: A relationship that has been damaged, shame over sin that has us convinced we cannot be used by God, regret over decisions that we wish we could undo and do over. Whatever it is, the process starts by recognizing our need. But to truly let it go, there are often times when we need to act, make something right, so that we can move on with God’s help.

In David’s case, he had to confess his sin with Bathsheba and ask for God’s forgiveness. When Zaccheus was transformed by God’s grace, he said to Jesus, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” He was willing to make restitution for his actions. Then there was the situation with Paul and Barnabas, where they had such a sharp disagreement over whether to include John Mark in their mission trip that they had to part ways in ministry. 

Letting go can take many forms, but there are times when we must take action to make things right where we can and choose to move forward, rather than living in the pain of the past. Often, this includes forgiving ourselves or those who have hurt us. This may be the most crucial step in moving on from hurt we have experienced.

In Matthew 18: 21, “Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’”

I never understood the significance of this passage until I had been hurt badly. What I wanted was revenge. My pound of flesh. The wounds were deep and the damage excruciatingly painful. But the quiet voice of God kept telling me, “If you want to let go and move forward, you need to forgive.” It took some time but I finally was ready to forgive, but it was not a one time thing. I had to forgive and forgive and forgive and, over time, God started to remove the hurt and the pain and translate my pain into constructive energy. But I understood the words of Jesus here, and to forgive until the need to forgive is no longer present. Then I was free.

Letting go is a journey toward freedom. It starts with our thinking, moves to our heart, is verbalized with our mouths and finally includes whatever action we need to take to bring closure and let it go. Those who are willing to take the journey find personal freedom with the Holy Spirit’s help. Those who refuse the journey because they choose bitterness or loss over forgiveness and opportunity will never experience the amazing life that God designed us for.

Which do you choose today? 

Father, I choose life today. The life You intended me for and that Jesus died for. I don’t want to settle for anything less than what You intended for me and redeemed me for. Help me to take whatever action I need to take today to let go of those things that hold me back so that I can experience Your fullness of life. Amen.

We often underestimate the power of our voice in dealing with pain, trauma, disappointment, broken dreams, hurt relationships or our own sin as a part of letting go and moving on. The Apostle Paul talks about the importance of our voice when he says, “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” 

There is power in saying out loud what is in our hearts, which is why we have the Psalms as David expressed his sin, faith, questions, praise, truths about God and a lot more “out loud,” recorded for all time. Cleo (my wife) and I have a habit of praying as we start our devotions together by saying, “Lord, we know that you are here with us in the empty chair across from us. We thank You for Your presence and that we can talk to You in person this morning. Bless our time together.” And then we pray in His presence, out loud. In doing so, His presence becomes more real and after all, He is there!

In fact, there are many references in the New Testament to the power of our voice. In Ephesians 5: 19-20, for instance, Paul says, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” James 5: 13-16 likewise says this: “Is anyone of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

God has called us to live in community and not in isolation. When we need to let go of issues in our lives so that we can move forward, the truths that we have discovered in Scripture and the truths that are now in our hearts through time with God and meditation need to be verbalized. Just as in creation, each of the days begins with “And God said,” so there are important times when we need to verbalize the truth about ourselves, our situation, and our God and His promises so that we hear it with our own ears and, even more powerful, so someone else hears it and can affirm and encourage us on our way. 

When I verbalize a truth I internalize it. When I am willing to speak the truth, I am making a statement to myself and to others as to what I need to do to move on. Part of that may be repentance of my own part in what has occurred. It may be a statement about forgiving others who have hurt me. Whatever it is, there is power in speaking the truth out loud whether about God, ourselves, our situation, others, our pain or forgiveness. If you doubt me - try it.

Father, just as You spoke in the beginning, and Jesus spoke in the Gospels words of life and healing, help me to speak the words that I need to speak. Give me a few safe people that I can verbalize my commitments to who will affirm and encourage me. Above all, I will speak to You. Amen.

Yesterday we looked at the role that our thinking plays in letting go of our past: our hurt, our wounds, sin, choices or relationships that have gone south. You know that it is painful to hang on to stuff that we cannot change, but for some strange reasons we find it equally painful to let go - as if by running it through our mind time and time again that somehow it will magically change. Of course, in our clearer moments we know that you cannot re-saw sawdust but we do a marvelous job trying to do so.

The renewing of our minds is fundamental to this process of letting go. We have seen how Scripture is key to understanding how God sees us, our situation and how He wants to free us for His use. But somehow, the truths that we put in our minds need to get to our heart, because until the truth of our situation and the truth of God’s word can move from our minds to our hearts, we will not be able to let go. 

I am convinced that David teaches us the key to engaging our hearts in the Psalms. The Psalms come out of David’s deep meditation around God, His word and his (David’s) own life. It was as he soaked himself in God’s presence that he was able to see his own issues clearly, the truths of God’s word and then allow the Holy Spirit to speak to him with clarity about what he needed to do. It is in God’s presence that His truth moves from our heads to our hearts and we experience God’s presence most fully and His direction most clearly.

No Psalm more epitomizes this process than Psalm 51, where David is brought to repentance for his adultery with Bathsheba. Read this slowly and allow your own heart to be touched as David’s was as he wrote this:

“Have mercy on me, O God, 

according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight;

so you are right in your verdict

and justified when you judge.

Surely I was sinful at birth,

sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;

you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

so that sinners will turn back to you.

Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,

you who are God my Savior, 

and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

Open my lips, Lord,

and my mouth will declare your praise.

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”

There is nothing theoretical here. There is no defensiveness or justification. There is simply deep contrition coming out of David’s time with God. The truth that Nathan had delivered to David had moved from his mind to his heart and now he was willing to deal with the truth of his sin and in doing so, be forgiven, let go and move on. The more we take time to meditate on God’s word, the clearer will be our path forward and the more free we will become.

Father, would You teach me to soak in Your presence and meditate on Your word. Help me see myself clearly, my situation with clarity and my path forward with confidence. As David said, “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart.” Amen.

This week we are looking at the art of letting go of those things that hold us back and keep us from moving forward in freedom. That process always starts with our head - that is, thinking like God wants us to think rather than how others want us to think, or Satan, who wants to steal our joy and diminish our life.

I know this challenge intimately. In my early years, I went through deep pain in a church I was leading. I won’t go into details, but the situation robbed me of all joy, brought on clinical depression, made me question my call to serve the local church, or God for that matter, in full time ministry. I felt like a failure and as an inward processor, all the tapes in my head told me I was a failure, that God could not use me and that I was unworthy. How is that for your first full time ministry? I suspect that while the details differ, you can think of times when you felt this way and maybe still do.

One day, a young man who attended my church handed me a book called “The Father Heart of God.” I don’t know why he decided to give it to me. Maybe he sensed my pain or maybe he was just following God’s prompting to share it with me. It is a short book, but profound - about the grace and mercy and love that our heavenly Father has for us. I devoured the book and the scriptures that were shared, and I realized that my view of God was flawed. In fact, there was nothing I could do to make God love me more and there was nothing I could do to cause God to love me less. God is love and He chooses to chase after us with His amazing grace so that we can be redeemed of our past, whether it is distant past or recent past, and live in His mercy and grace. 

I started to read the Scriptures in a new way, paying special attention to those passages that talk about how God sees us. When the old tapes played in my head about my unworthiness, I would meditate on those passages. I had to retrain my mind so that I thought biblically. 

This is exactly what Paul wrote about in Romans 12:1-2 (NIV):

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.” 

If we are going to let go of our failures, perceived or real. If we are to move beyond those who have hurt us or ways that we have hurt ourselves through sin or poor judgment, the first step is to allow our minds to be transformed by understanding how God sees us, the grace and mercy we live in, the truth of His forgiveness and the reality that He came to give us life and even abundant life (John 10:10). The evil one wants to rob us of our joy, while Jesus came to redeem every part of our lives on an ongoing basis. 

If you are having a hard time letting go of something that is holding you back or robbing you of joy, I challenge you to read the Scriptures often and meditate on God’s promises to you, and look at how God sees you. He calls you a saint who has been chosen, redeemed, adopted, forgiven, gifted and called. Until you understand these kinds of truths, you cannot be free. Seek them out, learn them and meditate on them.

Father, I thank You for Your amazing heart for me. How can I question Your heart or Your grace in my life if You died for my sin? Redeem me today from all that holds me back and help me see in Your word Your love and regard for me. A sinner, saved and now seen by You as a saint. Thank You. Amen.

All of us have times in our lives where we find ourselves paralyzed, depressed, hurt, or deeply wounded. It may have come from the hand of another or from our own hand in decisions we made. But wherever our pain comes from, unless we are able and willing to let it go we will continue to live on the margins, in bitterness, or with diminished hope. Especially painful are wounds given by fellow believers. The Apostle Paul understood pain and wounds inflicted by believers and unbelievers. In fact, there were false apostles in the Corinthian church who tried to marginalize him, hurt his reputation and who spread false rumors about his character. It doesn’t get more hurtful than that. In response to those false apostles Paul wrote this:

Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? - 2 Corinthians 11:21-29 (NIV)

You can hear the pain and frustration in these words. These were wounds designed to hurt him to the core. They were aimed at the things he cared the most about: faith, followership of Jesus, character, and his humility. How was it that Paul was able to overcome these kinds of circumstances and keep on going strong? How did he let go so he could move on? The answer is actually found in his letter to the Philippians where he wrote this: 

“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)

Like us, Paul had to come to terms with his wounds and the people who wounded him. He had to come to terms with relational breaks like he experienced with John Mark and Barnabas. He had to forgive those who had hurt him so that he didn’t live in bitterness. He also had to forgive himself for times when he admits he did not live up to God’s standards - calling himself the most wretched of sinners. Like us, he had to let go and move on.

Above all, Paul trained himself to let go of the past, which was behind him, so that he could reach for the future, which was in front of him. He lived his life looking forward, not behind, with the goal of pleasing God with whatever time he had left.

As you look at your life today, are you looking back or looking forward? Is the past holding you back or are you, like Paul, straining toward what is ahead? It is the difference between a diminished and a renewed life.

Father, I give to You today the wounds, bitterness, sadness, and broken places of my heart. I want to live life looking forward, not backward. I want to live in freedom, not burdened with the past. Help me to embrace Your vision for my future and let go of anything that holds me back. Amen. 

From time to time, I have had people with the gift of prophetic prayer pray over me. Each time, it has been an amazing experience as they have shared the heart of the Father for me. Even more amazing, is that what they shared came to reality in my life and each time I knew in my heart, this was from God. There are wonderful blessings that God pronounces over His people in Scripture, where God reveals His heart for us. One of them is found in three stanzas of Psalm 67.

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.” (Verses 1-2). Now stop and think about this for a moment. What if you knew that today, right now, God was going to be gracious to you and bless you, and more than that, make His face  shine upon you - the light of all His glory and grace as He actually looks at you - you personally, today, now? That is exactly what He is doing right now. And why? So that His ways would be known on earth and His salvation known among all nations as we experience His blessing and share it with others. I hope that changes your day today. It should.

“May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, O God, May all the peoples praise you.” (Verses 3-5). This is the only real response to the graciousness and blessing of God! To praise Him. To thank Him. To live with a, “Thank you Jesus,” on our lips throughout our day. God is good and He is powerful and He rules justly. Every breath we take is His breath in our lungs. Every new day we experience is a day of grace from Him. Every tough road we walk is one that He chooses to walk with us. 

God is always there, ready to be gracious to us and bless us. His face always shines upon us. How we respond is our choice, but the response that He is pleased with is one of praise and thanksgiving. There is no situation we face that will not be transformed by an attitude of thanksgiving to God. That is why I practice the discipline of saying, “Thank you Jesus,” dozens of times a day, even when things are going poorly for me, because I know He is there and He is blessing me, notwithstanding my circumstances. 

“Then the Land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.” (Verses 6-7). Twice the Psalmist says, God will bless us as we experience His graciousness and blessing as we live in thanksgiving. God responds to our praise and thanksgiving with even more blessing, because that is His heart for us and He loves it when we live in thanksgiving to Him, rather than in selfishness or even pity for ourselves. His generosity to us results in our generosity to Him in thanksgiving, which results in His continued generosity and blessing to us.  

Let’s make it our goal to live this way today. Recognizing His blessing, living with thankfulness and expectant of His continued blessing.

Father, what can I say but thank You for Your graciousness and blessing to me. Help me to live constantly aware of Your goodness and saturated with thankfulness to You. I bless You, praise You and thank You from the depths of my soul today. Amen.

Often, when I read the Scriptures, especially the prayers that are recorded for us, I am challenged about my own prayer life. I think about the things I pray for, and certainly we are told to bring all our prayers and petitions to God, which I do regularly. What challenges me are the kinds of prayers that men and women of God have prayed that rise above the everyday things I often bring to God. 

I love, for instance, the prayer of Solomon when he became king. God appeared to him during the night in a dream and said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” 1 Kings 3. Can you imagine God asking you that question? I can think of all kinds of possible answers, but Solomon doesn’t give any of those answers. Here is how he answered:

“Solomon answered, ‘You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on the throne this very day.” Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern you and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” - 1 Kings 3:6-9

Now if God asked me the same question, I hope that I might answer like Solomon, but the truth is that so many of my prayers are about me. Solomon’s prayer, however, was about what he needed to serve God - wisdom or a discerning heart. This pleased God, because it was not a selfish prayer but a God centered prayer. God promised him that because he had asked for discernment and wisdom, it would be his, along with great riches that he had not asked for.

This is a reminder to me that our prayer lives need to revolve not simply around my needs but also those things that are dear to His heart. He loves to meet our needs, but He is pleased when we pray for the advancement of His kingdom. This is why we ought to be praying for the lost to come to Christ, that the church can have a deep Gospel impact in the community and the world, that justice would be the norm in our society and that racial reconciliation would take place around the world. 

Here is our challenge: As we bring our own needs before God, let’s pray for those things that He also values. Solomon gave us an example. Lets do likewise.

Father, would You teach me to pray as the great figures in the bible prayed? Today I ask You specifically to give to me what I need to make a difference for You in the places I go and the people I meet. I thank You in advance. Amen. 

A life of faith requires strength and courage. God calls us to places we don’t expect, life throws us curves we didn’t sign up for, and forces of unrighteousness around us can look impossible to change. Like David facing Goliath, we encounter Goliaths in our own lives that cause anxiety, wake us up at night, and often keep us focused on the Goliath, rather than on the God who defeats our Goliaths.

 This is why I love Joshua 1:6-9. Here, the Lord gives Joshua his instructions for taking over the leadership of Israel from Moses on the verge of entering the promised land.  “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua had no idea what was in front of him as he led the people to take the promised land, but three times God says to him, “Be strong and courageous.” This is not because the people were stronger than their enemies but because God was. “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord you God will be with you wherever you go.” Our fears are not God’s fears. He has no fears, nor limitations. What He asks us to do or gives us to deal with is always possible because of His power. Our job is to recognize that and to be strong and courageous no matter what the circumstances.

There is another instruction that God gives Joshua: “Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” 

The key to being strong and courageous is always to stay close to God. And to follow Him in obedience. As we do so, He gives us just what we need for each day and we are reminded through His word that He is with us and for us and what it means to follow Him closely. Our relationship with Him keeps our hearts fresh and our courage high. Neglect Him and our hearts grow stale and the giants we face become fearsome to us.

Today, ask the Lord for strength and courage to face the day and take the time to refresh your heart and soul in His word. Remember the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. 

PRAYER

I thank You that You are more powerful than issues or challenges that I could face. And, that You are with me wherever I go. Give me strength and courage today and the confidence that You have my situation under control. Amen. 

If you have ever tried to swim against the tide, you know how difficult it is. The tide wants to pull you in its direction no matter how hard you try to swim. In fact, it can be dangerous to try. The pull of the tide is a lot like the pull of the world on our lives. The values, priorities, sinful practices and philosophies of our day are like a powerful force pulling us in its direction. But we need not be pulled by the tides around us. I am always encouraged by the stories in Scripture of real people who face real problems with all the same personal issues that we have and yet swam against the tide of their day.

One of those was Noah. This is what Scripture says about his day: “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” - Genesis 6:5-8

Of all the people on the face of the earth, there was one man and one family who found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Think about being in the minority - yet they swam against the tide. Here is how Noah is described in Genesis 6:10:  “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” What does it mean to be righteous? It is to walk with God. That is a beautiful description of what God desires from us. That we simply walk with Him and in His ways. 

Sometimes we over complicate our faith. As John wrote in 1 John 2:5-6, “But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” What does God want from us today? To walk with Him and to follow His direction for our lives whether in our relationships, financial decisions, our families, marriages or work. To simply walk with Him. In doing so, like Noah, we show our love for Him.

Noah was not a perfect man, but he walked with God and was called righteous by God. He wanted what God wanted and he alone in his generation swam against the tide. Even when God told him to build the ark, where there was no water, and a big ark at that, Noah simply followed God’s instructions to the laughter of those around him. He didn’t care what others thought but only what God thought. Looking foolish for the sake of God was fine with him. He knew that he answered to an audience of One.

Today, simply concentrate on walking with God. Be aware of God in all that you do and God will bless you as He did Noah.

Father, my heart desires to walk with You and to swim against the tide of unrighteousness in our day. Remind me often of the picture of simply walking through my day with You and in the power of the Holy Spirit, help me to please You in all that I do. Amen.

What do you think it was like the day after the crucifixion of Christ? Did Pilot wake up with a guilty conscience and wonder if he had done the right thing? Did the guards, who had mocked Jesus and then seen Him on the cross, wonder if an innocent man had died? Did the crowds, who had called for His life, keep an embarrassed silence in a quiet Jerusalem? Someone was nervous,  for they asked the Roman garrison to post guards at His tomb. On the day after, Jesus' friends mourned, the Romans were nervous, and some who had watched the execution were sure He was the Son of God.

It had to be a day like no other in Jerusalem. It had to be a day of quiet and consideration. It had to be a day of sober doubt after a day of impetuous action. I'll bet there were many disturbed consciences that day. The day between death and resurrection. A day of uncertainty and guilt. A day of hopelessness and sadness. But it was done and there was no undoing the events of the night before.

We have days like that! I have experienced whole periods of life that hang between hope and despair. Uncertainty reigns. Sadness is prevalent, maybe dominant. It is the time in between life as it was and life as it will be - but not yet knowing what will be. It is the dark night of the soul with all the questions, uncertainties, and unknowns. It is those times of personal chaos when we have no idea and little hope that life will become whole again. It is the loss of hope most of all.

It is the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It is real and it hurts and all of us experience it just as the disciples did, only in different ways. But there is another day coming...we know and we look forward to that day of hope. Always remember in the day of despair that morning comes, and it comes with hope and resurrection power and salvation. In the in-between times, we need the words of Habakkuk, "Be still and know that I am God." Easter comes and so does Hope.

There is a whole book in the Old Testament devoted to those in between times. It is the book of Lamentations. To lament is to mourn and to be in sorrow. Jeremiah is literally walking through the burnt out ruins of Jerusalem after the Babylonians had destroyed the city. The city is largely deserted, the temple in ruins, most of the population had been taken into exile into Babylon. Think of the pictures you have seen recently of the cities destroyed in Ukraine and you get the picture. People living in the middle of rubble, hope gone, lives destroyed, bank accounts empty.

Jeremiah is deeply distressed as he wanders through the ruins and then these amazing words. “Because of the Lords’ great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’”

In the time of pain and hopelessness Jeremiah says, “your mercies are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.” Great is your faithfulness.

Jeremiah was living in that “in-between time” as we also experience. Where life hangs between Hope and Despair. It is the dark night of the soul with all the questions, uncertainties and unknowns. It is those times of personal chaos when we have no idea and little hope that life will become whole again. But we know from Easter that there is another day coming. Jeremiah knew that there was another day coming because he knew the character of God, who is always faithful. His mercies are new every morning. Tomorrow, as we celebrate Easter, we are reminded once again of His faithfulness and mercies toward us.

Always remember in the day of despair that morning comes, and it comes with hope and resurrection power and salvation. In the in-between times, we need to remember. Easter comes and so does hope.

On Easter morning:

• The evil one was defeated once and for all

No matter what you are going through today, remember, Easter comes and so does hope. With God it is always so. The in-between times are not the final word. Easter and Jesus and the resurrection are the final word.

Father, thank you for the hope you give us daily in spite of our circumstances. Hope that is grounded in Easter when you rose victorious and our sins were paid for once and for all. Great is your faithfulness. Amen.

The word for today: Hope. His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.

This is day 40 of our forty day Lenten adventure. Thank you for sharing them with me. If you have been challenged or blessed by these Devotionals I would love to hear from you. How has God challenged you in these 40 days? You can reach me at [email protected]. Be blessed.