Sweeter Than Honey: Hope is Found in the Waiting and Seeking

What if we spent a few quiet moments with God each morning? What if we were intentional about making time for it? What if we committed to doing that all year long and by the year’s end we found that we had read the entire Bible!?

How many times, on January 1, have you committed to reading the Bible from cover to cover in a year? I have made that commitment too many times to count, and I have failed too many times to admit.

​A few years ago though, I used a one-year, chronological order of book authorship, Bible Reading Itinerary.

Did you know that Genesis was not the first book of the Bible written? While plans like this vary somewhat, because it is simply impossible to put an exact date on some books of the Bible, the plan I used begins with the book of Job.

Sweeter Than Honey is a 365-day devotional journey ​that leads the reader
​through God's Word ​in chronological order of book authorship.

PRE-ORDER THE SWEETER THAN HONEY KINDLE VERSION

Let me introduce you to Sweeter Than Honey, friend. It is patterned after that Bible Reading Itinerary.

On Tuesdays, now through the end of the year, I would love it if you and I could take a trip through Sweeter Than Honey together! I'd also like to encourage you to Join us over at the private, Sweeter Than Honey Facebook group and share your thoughts. You'll find like-minded, Christian friends there. Let’s do this! Come join us as we move through the book and God's Word together.

We're waiting for you!

Lamentations 1-5: Hope is Found in the Waiting and Seeking

To read the Prophet Jeremiah’s lament over the once beautiful city of Jerusalem is gut-wrenching! But he does not leave us there. After two chapters of lament, Jeremiah reminds us of the great faithfulness of our God.

“He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, ‘My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.’ 

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.’
​
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” (Lamentations 3:16-25)

The loss of peace, the forgetting of what true happiness is, the lack of endurance and hope, these are things Jeremiah and the people of Jerusalem struggled with. They are the same things many of us struggle with as well. We long for peace, happiness, endurance, and hope. “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope” (3:21) the prophet writes. What does Jeremiah remember and where does he find hope? ​

1. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases” (3:22)
   
2. “His mercies never come to an end” (3:22)
   
3. “They [His mercies] are new every morning” (3:23)
   
4. “Great is Your faithfulness” (3:23)
   
5. “The Lord is my portion” (3:24)
   
6. “I will hope in Him” (3:24)
   
7. “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him” (3:25)

Jeremiah still remembers how Israel and Judah arrived at this horrific place: “The joy of our hearts has ceased; our dancing has been turned to mourning. The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned” (Lamentations 5:15-16)! Sin! However, at the same time, he knows where his hope lies. 

It lies in the Lord’s steadfast love, His unending mercy, and His great faithfulness. This is Jeremiah’s portion and hope. This too can be our portion and hope. His love, mercy, and faithfulness are readily available to us, just as they were to Jeremiah—"to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him” (3:25).

How have you found ​HOPE in the waiting and seeking?

​About Sweeter Than Honey

When I read God’s Word each morning, I find inspiration and insight that keeps my day on track. Join me on this journey. Let’s settle in with His Word—it’s His Love Letter to us. Did you know that? Let’s read it like a Love Letter, expecting to glean something for our walk with Him every day. Let’s look for peace in the chaos and strength for our weaknesses. Even on our busiest days we can carve out a few minutes to refocus on the important. Can’t we? We may have to get up a little earlier, when the house is still and quiet, or stay up a few minutes after the others are tucked in for the night, but we can do this! I know we can!

Let's be intentional about focusing on God’s Word and the truths found there. Let's let it inspire us to live out our faith each day in a way that causes those we come in contact with to want what we have found. God sees you. He knows you by name, He knows the number of hairs on your head, and He cares about every detail of your daily existence. He wrote you a Love Letter. Let’s dive in! ​

JOIN THE SWEETER THAN HONEY PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP

---

Thanks for joining the InstaEncouragements weekly Christian link-up! We would really appreciate it if you would grab this IE link-up button, place it on your blog, and link back to this post. Thanks! Have an awesome week! 

If you're new to link-ups, checkout our IE LINK-UP page for a brief explanation and a list of other link-ups to participate in.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

---