September 10th, 25: Wrestling with Lamentations: Hope, Faithfulness, and Understanding God’s Character

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible, where each day we journey through the pages of Scripture, seeking to encounter the living Word of God together. In today’s episode, host Hunter guides us through a reflective reading from Lamentations chapters 3, 4, and 5, and Revelation chapter 15. As we hear the raw and honest emotions of Jeremiah in Lamentations—his anguish, his questions, and ultimately his hope—Hunter helps us wrestle with tough questions about God’s character, especially in the midst of suffering and discipline.

We’re reminded that even in the darkest moments, God's faithful love and new mercies remain. Hunter encourages us to interpret Scripture through the lens of Christ, who is God’s ultimate revelation of love and redemption. The episode concludes with heartfelt prayers and greetings from listeners all over the world, strengthening our sense of community and reminding us that, no matter where we are, we are truly loved.

So whether you’re starting your day or winding down, join us as we seek understanding, hope, and the presence of God in His Word.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

What is God like? The words we've read today in Lamentations are sobering—disturbing even. The depth of pain and sorrow expressed by Jeremiah raises profound questions about God’s nature. Is God a capricious deity, much like the gods of Mount Olympus, who inflicts suffering on his people, making them eat gravel, leaving them devastated, and shutting out their prayers? These heavy descriptions can cause uncertainty, fear, and even distance in our hearts if we’re not sure how to read them.

But scripture calls us deeper. It invites us to wrestle honestly with these raw emotions. Jeremiah is telling God’s story from the depths of siege and devastation, describing how it feels to stand in the ruins and believe that suffering comes from the very hand of God. Yet, it is vital to understand what comes next—the context that gives us hope. After pouring out the weight of his affliction, Jeremiah says, “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends. His mercies never cease. Great is Thy faithfulness. His mercies begin afresh every morning. I say to myself, the Lord is my inheritance; therefore I will hope in him.”

This, my friend, is the true picture of God revealed in scripture. Yes, lament is real—sorrow and loss are real. But our ultimate understanding of God is found in his faithful, unfailing love. The Bible shows us who God is by pointing us to Jesus Christ—the final and fullest revelation of the Father’s heart. God does not come to make us pay, to crush us, to leave us in darkness. He comes in Christ to deliver us from evil, to save us from wrath, to heal and restore and redeem. The Gospel is our lens—Christ is the foundation for every understanding of God’s character. It is through Him that we see God’s goodness, compassion, and steadfast love that never ceases.

So when we read passages of lament, of suffering and hardship, we do not stop there. We fix our eyes on Jesus, trusting that the God we see in Him is the God who loves and holds us—whose mercy is new every morning, whose faithfulness is our hope.

That’s my prayer for my own soul, that I will see beyond the shadows of suffering and look into the face of Christ. That’s my prayer for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that’s my prayer for you. May we know and trust the God whose love is everlasting, whose faithfulness is great, and whose mercy never ends.

May it be so.