Jeremiah testified that the LORD is good, despite witnessing the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and the death of his fellow countrymen. He knew that it is of the LORD’s mercy that they were not consumed. For centuries, God has sent numerous prophets to His people to turn them back to Him but they refused. Finally, Israel was destroyed in 722BC and Judah 586BC. Jeremiah, one of the numerous prophets, lived long enough to see God’s prophecies fulfilled. Even as he wept, he knew that God is merciful. After the 70-year exile, God allowed them to return to continue to be His witness. Can we say that the LORD is good despite our external circumstances?

The LORD is good because of who He is (Lam 3:22-23). He is merciful, compassionate, and faithful. We are who we are purely by His mercy. Just as the LORD did not consume His people at Jeremiah’s time, He has not consumed us today. He gives us another day, week, month, perhaps year, to be a better child of His. We must stop being slothful and stop murmuring. Because of His mercy, He is compassionate and will quickly accept our repentance, forgive us, and let us continue to be His witness. He is faithful, even when we are not. We must desire to be perfect in holiness. This desire will help us to quickly return to Him, when we sin. We must not judge God according to our circumstances.

The LORD is good because of who we are in Christ (Lam 3:24-25) . The LORD is Jeremiah’s portion. Despite much loss (especially the destruction of the Temple which signified that God’s glory had left), Jeremiah could still say that God is good. Is God our portion? After salvation, we are no longer the old sinner who could not know God or do good. We can now commune with Him unceasingly, He is with us all the time, we can trust Him, we can patiently, quietly wait upon Him, regardless. Patience, longsuffering can only come about through the experience of obediently waiting upon God and seeking Him, like the hart that thirst after water.

The LORD is good because of what we do in Christ (Lam 3:26-27). Knowing and feeling that the LORD is good is not enough. We must be stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Cor 15:58). We are to carry our yoke: deny self, take up the cross and follow Christ (Luke 9:23). We must keep on serving Him to the best of our abilities till the day we see Him face to face.

At the start of 2019, let us remember that the LORD is good. And by the end of 2019, may we have evidence to back it up.