dare to hope

This jumped out at me this morning and filled my heart with faith.  It's in Lamentations 3.  That's after Jeremiah (def had to use the table of contense ;)  Last night I was asking the Lord, who are you?  Do I even know you?  Coming from a place of bitterness, even when things aren't even terribly bad.  I don't want to be bitter, I want to be excited about the Lord.  Because first of all I am nothing without God.  (love Galations 2:20...it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me..)  He has saved me and continues to save me from sin and death and fills my heart with overwhelming joy so faithfully.  Def not deserved, but to know he thinks I'm worth it is unreal.  Maybe that is why people have such a hard time recieving grace sometimes?  They know how ugly sin has made them and it's just too good to be true.  I say "grace, YES PLEASE!"  Or maybe no one has over loved them with the love of Christ?  Scared from religion and rules and regulations, wounded and surpressed hurt beyond measure.  You just can't fully love without Jesus and his forgiveness in your heart.  Without forgivness, there's conditions.  Deep down I know he has a good plan.  But really... 'THIS', this is what it looks like???  The Lord def cares the most about the condition of my heart.  I just Love him and how he answers....

It starts out to say:
18.  Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!...
19.  Bitter beyond words...

21.  Yet I still dare to hope

            when I remember this:

22.  The faithful love of the Lord never ends!

              His mercies never cease.

23.  Great is his faithfulness;

            his mercies begin afresh each morning.

24.  I say to myself, "the Lord is my

                    inheritance;

         therefore, I will hope in him!'

25.  The Lord is good to those who depend

             on him,

         to those who search for him.

26.  So it is good to wait quietly

          for salvation from the Lord.

27.  And it is good for people to submit at an

              early age

          to the yoke of his discipline:

28.  Let them sit alone in silence

           beneath the Lord's demands.

29.  Let them turn lie face down in the dust,

               for there may be hope at last.

30.  Let them turn the other cheek to those

               who strike them

          and accept the insults of their enemies

31.  For no one is abandoned

                by the Lord forever.

32.  Though he brings grief, he also shows

             compassion.

          because of the greatness of his

              unfailing love.

33.  For he does not enjoy hurting people

           or causing them sorrow.