Poem 3 Part 2: Hope
I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
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.
It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.
Let him sit alone in silence,
for the Lord has laid it on him.
Let him bury his face in the dust—
there may yet be hope.
Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
and let him be filled with disgrace.
For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever. Lamentations 3:19-31
I’ll never forget this excruciating pain of loss, this terrible sadness.
Yet I remember this.
Because of God’s great love, I am not consumed.
And therefore I have hope.
I’ll never forget this sense of being completely lost, completely abandoned, completely isolated.
Yet I remember this.
God’s compassion will never run out.
And therefore I have hope.
I’ll never forget how my heart has become twisted up with resentment and bitterness that this could happen to me.
Yet I remember this.
Every day, I will experience God’s love and compassion in a completely new way.
And therefore I have hope.
I’ll never forget how it feels to hit rock bottom.
Yet I remember this.
God is faithful and will never ever let me down.
And therefore I have hope.
I’ll never forget those times where it feels impossible to carry on.
Yet I remember this.
God will always be good to those who wait for Him and seek Him out.
And therefore I have hope.
I’ll never forget these times when I feel I can’t take any more.
Yet I remember this.
God saves.
And therefore I have hope.
I’ll never forget these occasions where there are no words to describe the pain.
Yet I remember this.
No one is abandoned by God forever.
And therefore I have hope.
Hope is powerful.
Hope is the strength to carry on.
Sometimes hope is all that we have left.
And therefore I have hope.
