behind the scenes: great is thy faithfulness

He has broken my teeth with gravel;
He has made me cower in the dust.
My soul has been rejected from peace;
I have forgotten happiness.
So I say, “My strength has perished,
And so has my hope from the LORD.”
Hope of Relief in God’s Mercy
Remember my affliction and my wandering,
the wormwood and bitterness.
Surely my soul remembers
And is bowed down within me.
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
”The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I have hope in Him.”
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.

Lamentations 3: 16-25 NASB

the above words were penned by the prophet jeremiah during the time of the exile and destruction of israel. in my chronological bible readings, after so many warnings from God to either turn from sin or the wrath and anger of the Lord would come to bring utter destruction, the people still chose not to listen to jeremiah nor heed God's warnings, and thus, the anger against sin is unleashed.

some things that struck me were:
1. their hardened hearts
2. God's patience & trying to reach out to His people over & over (i am talking books & chapters worth!)
3. that though jeremiah was obedient and listening to God, he still had to suffer along with his people. he was not exempt from the wrath and had to be chained up by others as he watched his beloved city jerusalem and his fellow people be destroyed.

and, so, he wrote the words above.
really quite remarkable in the midst of his circumstances.
his faith remains strong & his eyes are set on his God, despite the pain around him.

would i come up with these words of his
(your love God is never stopping,
your compassion never ends,
it is new & fresh every morning;
GREAT is your faithfulness?!)
in the midst of my own pain & suffering ...
maybe watching a loved one suffer?
or losing a home to flood or fire?
or my own health just go downhill?
or having to experience war & exile on our own land as the israelites had to?
all the while, i had been obedient & speaking forth God's Word
and this is what i would get for it?

wow. jeremiah is really someone to admire.
Lord, make my heart seek You & be content & full of praise daily.

as you can probably guess, i chose to shoot the fresh dew of a summer morning to echo the words "they are new every morning". this is from the tiger lillies in my backyard garden. i loved going out there this summer in the morning to see the dew on the plant life and how it brought it so much more to life; just like how His faithful love brings my heart to life.

enjoy! art available here.

grace & peace,
julie