Seeking Hope in the Midst of Sorrow
Lamentations is a book of sorrow, written in the aftermath of Jerusalem’s destruction. The city lay in ruins. Grief covered the people like dust. But right in the middle of this lament, something remarkable happens: a word of hope.
"The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him."
Lamentations 3:25 NIV
Jeremiah, who scholars believe is the likely author of Lamentations, writes this verse not because everything was good, but because he knew God is good, even when life is not. This kind of hope is a deliberate choice to seek God’s presence when things seem dark. It’s trusting in His character when circumstances don’t make sense.
The verse highlights two actions: hoping and seeking. Hope in God fixes our eyes forward, on what He will do. Seeking Him draws us inward into relationship with the God who is already near.
Verse 26 continues the theme: “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” The Hebrew word for “wait” here is "yachal," which carries the idea of hopeful expectation. It’s not a passive sitting still—it’s an active, trusting posture of the heart. In this context, waiting isn’t doing nothing; it’s doing the hard, soul-level work of trusting in God's timing even when answers feel delayed.
Waiting means continuing to pray, to obey, and to believe, even in silence or sorrow, because we know the Lord’s salvation is worth the wait. Just as a farmer waits for the harvest after faithfully sowing seed, so we wait with purpose, believing God will bring restoration in His perfect time.
In his waiting, Jeremiah didn’t deny the pain. He brought his pain to God. And in that place of honest dependence, he reminded himself—and now us—that God is still good, still faithful, and still worth seeking.
“In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they ...