Patient and Quiet

21This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

These few verses of Scripture have been a well of cool, refreshing water for me over the years. When I am discouraged or going through tough times, I turn to the book of Lamentations, chapter three, and read these words which begin with Hope. Because I remember that God is Good, and has promised to take care of me and guide me through this life, I have Hope.
It isn’t through my own goodness (doesn’t exist) but by the Lord’s mercies that I am not consumed-I’ve always thought: consumed by hate, bitterness, despair at having failed God and myself-His mercies hold me up when I deserve to fall. I don’t deserve such goodness, but I benefit because His compassions fail not. Never fail. Ever. He created me, knows my innermost secrets and weaknesses, and still His compassions fail not. That’s not human. Only God loves like that. His compassions are new every morning doesn’t mean they end at night, but simply that when I wake and am in need, they are already there. Great is thy faithfulness-I’ve always imagined Jeremiah looking up to Heaven as he wrote this, speaking right to our Father in Heaven.
The Lord is my portion-I have nothing else. All that I have has come from God, all that I will be is His.
Some are bonus babies, born into wealth; the Lord is my portion, so they are paupers by comparison. Bonus babies may wait for their 21st birthday to receive their portion; mine’s being kept imperishable for me. The Lord is my portion and my Hope. Patience and Trust in God are preached in every book of the Bible. When it says that the Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him, it’s a promise wrapped in a blessing. When I’ve been in trouble and trusted God’s leading rather than my own efforts (which get me loster), I am soon out of trouble, just as soon as I say, “Okay God, I’ll do it Your way, in Your time.”
Here is my favorite verse among these. Hope and quietly wait. Trusting that God will save me from whichever predicament I have fallen into, and doing so quietly. For someone who is not yet a Christian, this verse can mean trusting God for the Salvation of your soul. But God continues to save us, because He loves us, and, once again, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.”