It's been an unusual day. It started out as it normally does: My alarm rang. I hit the snooze. (multiple times). When I could put off actually waking up no longer, I reached for my phone. I pressed the "Daily Bible" icon to read the scripture designated for today.
I smiled. It was familiar:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness
~ Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)
From there it went a little bit differently. The painters were back to finish their work. My house still looked like a cross between Narnia and Wonderland with the protective plastic running floor to ceiling in the great room and kitchen. They had removed the draping from the hallway and my son's room, but it now it hung in my bathroom. SO, while I was AT home, and there was plenty to do AT home, there wasn't really much I COULD do. I was essentially confined to my bedroom.
I plugged the ear bud of my iPod Shuffle into my left ear, pressed play and began to sort through some papers on my desk. I had already been internally paused by some of the lyrics I'd heard, so when I found the sermon insert in the pile, I just smiled. At the top of the page read:
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.
~ Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV)
I found it curious, the differences in the translations. "...Not consumed", huh? My interpreter brain threw the sign "destroy" onto my hands. Whew! Grateful for that!
I pulled out my (ESV) bible to read a little more.
"The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "I will hope in Him." ~ verse 24
I will hope in Him. I smiled, nodded and sat on my bed.
"Hope". It's a word I have been thinking about lately, as I have been feeling more of it!
I searched for the NIV translation of the verse as well, to add to the bottom of this post. It read "...wait..." "... I will wait for Him."
This, too, was great encouragement and confirmation for me, as I continue to wait on Him to see how some things will unfold.
And as I wait for and hope in Him, I am continuously reminded:
Great is Thy Faithfulness, Lord unto me.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lamentations 3:22-24 (ESV)
22 The steadfast love of the
Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 “The
Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24 (NIV)
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.”