Lamentations

Today's reading was Lamentations. Talk about a depressing book. Captivity, desolation, starvation, cannibalism, it is not a pretty picture for Israel. Yet even the book of laments is not without hope. Following a long list of how much the writer's life sucks, you get  verses like this: Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23) Or this: You drew near on the day I called on You, and said, "Do not fear!" (Lamentations 3:57) Whoa. Talk about faith. Things couldn't get much worse, but they don't lose faith in God. More importantly, He doesn't abandon them. After their time of punishment, they will be restored. For a depressing book, it gives me a lot of hope.