I Choose Hope!
Lamentations 3:19–26 (NIV)
Good morning dear friends. It’s so good to be with you and have this opportunity to share God’s Word with you today. For the next few minutes, I want to talk with you about HOPE.
Hope is one of the most powerful forces in the human soul. When hope is alive, people endure what once seemed impossible. They persevere through sickness, rebuild what has been broken, and keep moving forward even when the road ahead feels uncertain. But when hope begins to fade, even strong people can start to crumble. Strength alone is rarely enough. The human heart was created to live on hope.
Researchers who studied prisoners of war discovered something striking about survival in the harshest conditions. The men who endured were not always the strongest physically. Often they were simply the ones who held on to hope. They believed tomorrow could be different. They believed suffering would not have the final word. Hope changed how they faced each day because it shaped what they believed about the future.
Yet hope does not always come easily. Life has a way of pressing in on us. Unexpected loss, strained relationships, financial burdens, ministry disappointments, and seasons of quiet discouragement can slowly erode the hope we once carried so naturally. There are moments when every believer must decide what posture their heart will take.
In those moments hope is no longer merely a feeling. It becomes a decision.
The prophet Jeremiah faced such a moment. In 588 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to the city of Jerusalem. As Jeremiah watched his cherished city collapse, his heart became heavy. In the days that followed, he witnessed the destruction of everything he knew and loved. With the city destroyed and the temple in ruins, he watched as families were scattered or taken away in exile. The place that once represented the presence and promise of God now stood in ashes.
It was at that time that he took pen to paper and expressed the depth of his pain and sorrow — all undergirded by his relentless hope in God. The book of Lamentations records this story and his sorrow.
Yet right in the middle of that sorrow, Jeremiah speaks words that have echoed through the centuries. Surrounded by ruin and grief, he makes a deliberate choice about what he will believe. In the darkest chapter of Israel’s history, the prophet lifts his voice and declares hope.
If you have your Bible, look with me at Lamentations 3:19–24. Here the prophet writes:
19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.” — Lamentations 3:19-24 (NIV)
Let me give you a little more context to this passage.
Jeremiah, often called the “weeping prophet,” walks through the devastation and records what he sees and feels. His words in this chapter are honest and raw. He speaks of bitterness, wandering, and a soul that feels crushed by sorrow.
Yet in the middle of this grief something remarkable happens. Jeremiah shifts from despair to declaration. He moves from remembering pain to remembering God. That shift becomes the turning point of the entire passage.
Verse 21 is the hinge upon which the entire chapter turns:
“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope.” — Lamentations 3:21 (NIV)
Hope did not appear automatically. Jeremiah deliberately called something to mind. He chose what he would remember. And in that moment he made a decision that every believer must eventually make. He chose hope!
From Jeremiah’s words we learn that hope is not merely something we feel. It is something we choose.
1. Choose Hope by Remembering God’s Faithful Love
Jeremiah writes,
“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.” — Lamentations 3:22 (NIV)
The Hebrew word used for “love” here is hesed. It describes God’s covenant love. This is not sentimental affection or passing emotion. This is loyal, steadfast, unwavering love. It is the kind of love that refuses to abandon its people even when they have wandered far from Him.
Jerusalem had fallen because of Israel’s disobedience. Yet Jeremiah recognizes something profound: even in judgment, God’s mercy had not disappeared. They were wounded, but they were not destroyed. They were scattered, but they were not abandoned. They were grieving, but they were not forgotten. And that’s because God’s love had preserved them. His love had held them tight!
Understand, there are seasons when circumstances make it difficult to see God’s goodness. When life becomes painful, our vision can narrow until all we see is the struggle in front of us.
Jeremiah teaches us to lift our eyes higher.
Hope grows when we remember who God is.
The psalmist expresses this same truth in Psalm 136, where every line repeats the phrase, “His love endures forever.” The message is unmistakable. Kingdoms rise and fall. Seasons change. People come and go. But the steadfast love of the Lord remains.
A.W. Tozer once wrote,
“God never changes moods or cools off in His affections.”
That truth anchors our hearts. If God’s love depended on our performance, our hope would constantly rise and fall. But because His love flows from His character, our hope remains secure.
When the soul grows weary, one of the most powerful spiritual practices is simply remembering the faithfulness of God.
- Remember the prayers He has answered.
- Remember the seasons He has sustained you.
- Remember the doors He has opened and the grace He has provided.
Every testimony of yesterday becomes fuel for hope today.
And so, or hope grows when we begin to remember the faithful love of our gracious God.
But, Jeremiah does not stop with just remembering God’s love. He goes deeper. Much deeper. Hope is not only rooted in what God has done in the past, but in what God is doing right now.
2. Choose Hope by Trusting God’s Daily Mercy
Jeremiah continues,
“They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” — Lamentations 3:23 (NIV)
What an extraordinary statement.
Jeremiah is standing in the wreckage of a destroyed city. Smoke still rises from burned buildings. Families have been separated. The nation is in exile.
Yet he declares that God’s mercies are new every morning.
Hope does not require perfect circumstances. It requires confidence in God’s faithfulness.
Notice the rhythm Jeremiah describes. Mercy is not delivered in one overwhelming supply meant to last a lifetime. Instead, it arrives day by day. Morning by morning. God gives us what we need for the day we are living.
This is the same pattern we see in the wilderness when God provided manna for Israel. They were instructed to gather only enough for that day. Tomorrow’s provision would come tomorrow. Why? Because God was teaching them dependence.
The Christian life is lived one day at a time. We often wish God would reveal the entire path ahead of us. But instead He gives us light for the next step.
Corrie ten Boom once said,
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.”
This is so important to understand…God’s mercies arrive daily because God intends for us to walk daily with Him. Every sunrise carries with it the fresh grace of God. The strength you need for today. The wisdom you need for today. The patience you need for today. The courage you need for today.
This is why Jeremiah can say, “Great is your faithfulness.”
Hope grows when we trust that God will meet us again tomorrow morning.
Jeremiah has remembered God’s love. He has recognized God’s daily mercy. But now he moves to the deepest expression of hope in this passage.
Hope ultimately rests in the Lord Himself.
3. Choose Hope by Anchoring Your Life in God Alone
Jeremiah concludes,
“The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” — Lamentations 3:24 (NIV)
In the Old Testament, the word “portion” referred to inheritance. When Israel entered the Promised Land, each tribe received a portion of land as their inheritance.
But Jeremiah says something remarkable.
“My inheritance is not land. My inheritance is not security. My inheritance is not comfort. The Lord Himself is my portion.”
This is the heart of biblical hope.
Hope is not merely the expectation that circumstances will improve. Hope is confidence that God Himself is enough.
If our hope rests only in favorable outcomes, then our hope will constantly be fragile. But if our hope rests in the character and presence of God, then it remains steady even when circumstances shake.
Jeremiah continues,
“The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” — Lamentations 3:25 (NIV)
Waiting is one of the hardest disciplines of faith. We prefer immediate answers. Immediate solutions. And immediate relief. Yet throughout Scripture God repeatedly calls His people to wait.
But, waiting is not some sort of passive resignation. Waiting is something quite different. In reality, waiting is actually a demonstration of active trust. It is the quiet confidence that God is still working even when we cannot see what He is doing.
Isaiah declares the same truth:
“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.” — Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
Hope anchored in God produces endurance.
When God Himself becomes our portion, hope becomes resilient.
So, what now?
Every believer must eventually face the same choice Jeremiah faced. Will we allow disappointment to shape our outlook? Will we allow hardship to define our future? Or will we deliberately call to mind the truth of who God is?
Hope is not denial of reality. Jeremiah did not pretend everything was fine. He acknowledged his pain honestly. But he refused to let despair write the final chapter. Instead, he chose hope.
Perhaps today you find yourself walking through a difficult season. Maybe you carry burdens that others cannot see. Maybe you are facing uncertainty in your family, your health, your ministry, or your future.
Hear the quiet but powerful declaration of Jeremiah:
“I call this to mind and therefore I have hope.” — Lamentations 3:21 (NIV)
- Hope remains because God’s love has not failed.
- Hope remains because His mercies are new today.
- Hope remains because the Lord Himself is our portion.
And because of that truth, we can say with confidence: I choose hope!
Conclusion
Hope is not the absence of trouble. Hope is the presence of God within it. Jerusalem was still in ruins when Jeremiah wrote these words. The exile had not ended. Restoration had not yet come. But Jeremiah understood something deeper.
Even in the valley, God remains faithful.
The same God who sustained Jeremiah in the ashes is the God who sustains us today. His love still endures. His mercies still arrive with every sunrise. His faithfulness has not changed. And because of that, we can stand with confidence and say: We choose hope!
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that our hope does not depend on our circumstances, but on Your character. When life feels uncertain, remind us of Your faithful love. When our strength is low, help us remember that Your mercies are new every morning. When the future feels unclear, anchor our hearts in the truth that You are our portion.
Teach us to trust You, to wait on You, and to walk forward in confidence that You are working even when we cannot see it. Fill our hearts with renewed hope today. May our lives reflect the quiet strength that comes from trusting You. We choose hope, because we choose You. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.