On my way to church yesterday the memory came. It was so strong that I could almost hear again the desperate cry of my daughter's voice,"Mommy, come quickly!" On Father's Day a year ago I took my daughter to the hospital. On that day Abigail gave birth to Cherie, and on that day Cherie died.
At church the congregation was given the opportunity to offer praise. Abigail stood and said, "It was on Father's Day last year that I went to the hospital to deliver Cherie. Today my little girl sleeps beneath the ground in her woodland nursery. But God has blessed me with a wonderful man who is the father of the son we are adopting and of our baby Hardeman." As I listened to my daughter I was reminded of the words of Lamentations.
"Remember my affliction and my wanderings, 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" (Lamentations 3:19-24).
There are memories that cause the soul to bow in grief, and there are memories that anchor it as well. To remember God's steadfast love is to remember His covenant of love. The steadfast, unfailing love of God is His response to the deepest cries of our heart. His tender mercy never comes to an end but are fresh and new like the daily manna given by God in the wilderness.
To say that, "The LORD is my portion and I will hope in him," is to choose to daily open your heart and receive the gift of compassion and mercy in much the same way as the children of Israel gathered their daily portion of manna. I have watched this year as Abigail and her husband Dave have placed their hope in the steadfast love of the LORD. Their faith has transformed a time of lament into an opportunity for praise.
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