This is the manuscript of the second sermon in the series titled "Anchored: Finding Hope in Uncertain Times". We are unpacking what it truly means to live with a hope that cannot be shaken by world events, personal trials, or unexpected storms.
This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope: Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:21–23 NIV).
Are you walking through a difficult season or carrying unseen grief? Real biblical hope doesn't ask us to pretend everything is fine or ignore our pain; instead, it meets us directly inside our deepest struggles. In our sermon, "Hope in the Dark", the second in our series "Anchored: Finding Hope in Uncertain Times", we learn that God gives us permission to lament and handle our honest grief, doubts, and frustrations. Mourning shifts toward hope when we intentionally direct our minds back to God's faithfulness, knowing that His compassions never fail and He offers fresh, tailor-made grace that is new every single morning!
Scripture:
Psalms 42:1-11 NIV [1] As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. [2] My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? [3] My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” [4] These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. [5] Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. [6] My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. [7] Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. [8] By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. [9] I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” [10] My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?” [11] Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Text:
Lamentations 3:21-23 NIV [21] Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: [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.
Sermon Manuscript
Big Idea: Real hope does not deny pain or grief; it meets us directly inside our deepest struggles. Real hope is a confident expectation.
I. Welcome & Introduction
This is week two of our series, Anchored: Finding Hope in Uncertain Times. Today, we are addressing a reality every single person faces at some point: How do we hold onto hope when everything around us goes dark?
There is a common misconception that having faith means putting on a fake smile and pretending everything is fine. But biblical hope is not toxic positivity. Real hope does not ignore the darkness; it meets us right in the middle of it.
II. The Dark Valley
Let’s read what the prophet Jeremiah wrote in the book of Lamentations, which is a book written during Jerusalem's total destruction.
After a prolonged two-year siege by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Jerusalem’s walls were breached. The destruction was comprehensive:
Solomon’s Temple—the physical center of Israel’s religious and national life—was looted and burned to the ground.
The Royal Palace and Jerusalem’s city walls were destroyed.
Mass Casualty & Famine: The siege led to severe starvation, rampant disease, and catastrophic loss of life.
Deportation: The elite, religious leaders, and large portions of the population were forcibly exiled to Babylon, leaving behind mostly the poorest of the land.
So now let’s read Jeremiah's words
Lamentations 3:19-26 NIV [19] I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. [20] I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. [21] Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: [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.” [25] The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; [26] it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
The Permission to Lament
Notice how honest Jeremiah is. He talks about bitterness, and a downcast soul. God does not ask you to hide your pain. Throughout Scripture—especially in the Psalms—we see that God gives us permission to lament, to give a voice to our sorrow rather than holding it in..
Lament means to bring honest grief, pain, sorrow, and frustration directly to God rather than denying or hiding them. God can handle your honest grief, your tearful questions, and your deepest frustrations.
We have a lot of examples of lamenting in the Psalms. Psalms of lament are really prayers written from the perspective of a person crying out in personal crisis—whether due to severe illness, betrayals, isolation, persecution, or deep spiritual dryness.
Examples: Psalms 3, 6, 13, 22, 31, 42, 51, 88, 102, 130, 142.
The sheer volume of laments reveals something profound about biblical faith. 35 to 40 percent of the Psalms are psalms of prayers of lament. This ensures that believers would always have a language for their suffering.
Key aspects of biblical lament include:
Permission to be Honest: Lament gives believers permission to express real grief, doubts, and suffering. It recognizes that God can handle human heartbreak and frustration.
A Pathway to Hope: Mourning and lamenting serve as a turning point.
Not Denying Pain: Genuine, biblical hope does not ignore or pretend pain does not exist; instead, it meets people directly inside their deepest struggles.
By pouring out honest emotion to God, worry shifts toward hope as we deliberately direct our minds back to God’s character, mercies, and faithfulness. We see that in our scripture of Psalm 42 which James read and in the scripture we just read from Lamentations 3:19-26.
The Turning Point: Calling to Mind
Exercising hope doesn't happen automatically, it requires a deliberate decision. You have to redirect your focus from the size of your problem to the faithfulness of your God. Lament gives way to hope as we bring God’s proven track record to mind.
New Mercies Every Morning
Jeremiah declared that God’s compassions "are new every morning." God does not give you grace today for next week's troubles. He gives His grace daily. Fresh mercy tailored specifically for what you face today.
Hope isn't the absence of darkness; it’s the presence of God's light in the midst of darkness. So bring your raw pain to God in prayer rather than burying it or running away. Think about and maybe write down specific times God has carried you through in the past so you can "call it to mind" when darkness hits. Take life one day at a time. Rest in the reality that tomorrow will bring a fresh batch of God's unexhausted mercies.
Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 6:25-34 NIV [25] “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? [26] Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? [27] Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? [28] “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. [29] Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. [30] If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? [31] So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ [32] For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. [33] But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. [34] Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
V. Closing Prayer
Lord God, for anyone here walking through a dark valley, remind them that they are not alone. Teach us to lament honestly, but guide our minds back to Your faithfulness. Thank You for mercies that never run out. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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