Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho wrote, “Waiting is painful. Suffering is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering.” The author of Lamentations helps us with this dilemma by clarifying when it is good to remember our suffering and wait. It is good when we are waiting for the salvation of the Lord.

It is not wrong to be aware of our suffering or even to be grieved about it. Indeed, it is natural. The key to suffering in faith is to keep God’s loving compassion in view. Jeremiah describes this as a discipline. When bad things happen, the bitter recollection of such events always seems to be near at hand. Like Jeremiah, we “well remember them” (v. 20). Perhaps this is because they are fresh in our experience. Or it may be that we, like the people of Jerusalem, must live with the consequences for years to come. Either way, the faithfulness of God is something that we must often “call to mind” (v. 21).

The mindfulness of verses 22–24 is a kind of double vision. On the one hand, it looks back to the many instances of God’s love, compassion, and faithfulness. Despite Judah’s unfaithfulness, Jehovah had been true to His word, even the hard words of warning that had come to pass. On the other hand, this is a view that also looks forward to what God will yet do. The compassion of the past has not been exhausted. There is a fresh supply with each new day (v. 23). The primary act of faith is often a matter of waiting (v. 24). Those who recall the faithfulness of God understand that He is still “good” even during their suffering. They eventually come to see that God is using the difficulties they experience to work for their good (vv. 25–27; see also Rom. 8:28).

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