{RE:} There's One Thing I Remember

Last week we thought about what it would mean for us to return to God. This week we will spend time thinking about what it means to "remember." In some ways, remembering is another form of returning. When we remember, we bring to mind something from the past. How can remembering move us toward the resurrection life we desire?

Read: Lamentation 3:19-24 (Message Translation)

"I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed.
I remember it all - oh, how well I remember - the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there's one other thing I remember,
and remembering, I keep a grip on hope. 

God's loyal love couldn't have run out,
his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He's all I've got left.


Reflect:

Jeremiah (the writer of Lamentations) was really honest throughout the book about the struggles he faced. He seems to want to intentionally remember it - why do you think he wants to remember the "feeling of hitting the bottom"?

• How can we acknowledge and remember grief (our own or with others) well?

Jeremiah doesn't stop by remembering his struggles, instead he calls himself to hope by remembering God's character - you may be more familiar with the translation that says "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies are new every morning!"

• What truths about God do you remember to bring hope in the midst of trial? 
• How do you bring those things to mind?

I love the way that this passage acknowledges the way that life is messy - it's both devastating and hopeful... sometimes in the same stanza.

•  What happens to our spiritual life if we ignore our pain and only sing about hope?
• On the flip side - what happens if we ignore the glimmers of hope and only pay attention to our pain?

Part of growing spiritual depth is learning how to remember our struggles honestly and attend to our pain well. But we must also remember God's character - his goodness, faithfulness, and unending love. Like Jeremiah, we can say that it is "by remembering that we keep a grip on hope."


Respond:

God, I call to you early in the morning,
help me pray and collect my thoughts,
I cannot do so alone.
In me it is dark, but with you there is light.
I am lonely, but you do not abandon me.
I am faint-hearted, but from you comes my help.
I am restless, but with you is peace.
In me is bitterness, but with you is patience.
I do not understand your ways, but you know the right way for me.

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1945)