A Prayer about Our Wanderings and God’s Mercies
Remember my affliction and my wandering,
the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it
and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.” (Lam. 3:19–24)
Loving Father, another day and another fresh batch of your mercies greet us, even before sunrise. We join Jeremiah in calling to mind your great love and your great faithfulness. In fact, we can “call to mind” much more of your love and faithfulness than Jeremiah. Our place in the history of redemption is to be much preferred over his.
Jeremiah lived looking forward to the coming of Jesus and the fulfillment of the promises of the new covenant (Jer. 31:31–34). But we live on this side of those blessed events. How much quicker should I be to praise you and how much greater should my hope be!
Lord Jesus, you’re the reason I’m not consumed with guilt and paralyzed with fear. Because of you, God has forgiven all my wickedness and will never remember my sins against me (Jer. 31:34). You became sin for me, and in you I have received the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). Thus I look at you and loudly proclaim, “The Lord Our Righteous Savior” (Jer. 33:16 NIV)— the Lord, my righteousness!
Father, it’s because of this gospel, this good news, that I also join Jeremiah in lamenting my wanderings. With humility I still sing, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love.” Oh, how I need the gospel every day and every hour.
Don’t let me wander far. When I lose sight of Jesus, make the gall more galling, make the bitterness more bitter, make downcast feel even more downcast. I don’t want to ever get used to feeling disconnected from the gospel.
In view of your steadfast love and never-failing compassions, I proclaim, “The Lord is my portion” (Lam. 3:24). I will wait for you, my God. I pray in Jesus’ powerful and tender name.
Amen.