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“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him.”(Lamentations 3:22-25) April 2003 Dear Friend, Trusting that all is well with you and your loved ones. We are all fine, and thanking God for all He is doing in our lives, and in Christian Hope Network (CHN). We are going through troubling times in our world right now, but He is faithful to see us through and give us strength and courage. Our Hope Connection Helpline Prayer Partners are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to minister the love and saving power of our Lord Jesus Christ to our callers. We are here for you! Call 1-718-238-4600 today! Jeremiah knew what it was to go through crisis, disappointment, and heartache. He is known as the “weeping prophet.” Isn’t it strange that God would choose a man who so readily weeps to be the spokesman at a critical time for His people? The Book of Lamentations describes the torment and mourning that God’s people went through; the intense suffering and devastation of Jerusalem. God was angry with His people, and was no longer protecting them. “...He has blazed against Jacob like a flaming fire, Devouring all around.” (Lam. 2:3b). The flaming fire was predicted in Amos 2:5, “But I will send a fire upon Judah, And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.” Jeremiah cries out for the people, weeping, heartbroken, asking God to have mercy upon them. And then in the midst of their hopelessness and despair, God comes! Jeremiah sees hope! He says “It is the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.” (Lam. 3:22,23) Glory! God gives hope! He is merciful! He sees the tears of His people and He feels their sorrow. He sees your tears! He feels your sorrows! There is hope in the midst of turmoil and pain. Jeremiah says “I called on Your name, O Lord, From the lowest pit. You have heard my voice; Do not hide Your ear From my sighing, from my cry for help. You drew near on the day I called on You, and said ‘Do not fear!’” (Lam. 3:55-57). God knows everything that is on your heart, and He is a merciful God. His mercies are new every day! Every day we have a new chance to begin fresh, and put the past behind us. Every day we can ask for His protection, and for His provision. Every day is a new day to see the mercies of God. This month we commemorate the death, burial and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise God, He provided a Savior! For those of us who know Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we can know that He lives in us, and watches over us with loving, protective care. We can depend on Him to hear our prayers. We can know that He is our Rock and Salvation, and because of what He did, we are now made righteous before God. Jesus knew what it was to suffer. He was both God and Man, and as a Man He felt all the pain and heartache that we do. The Bible says that Jesus wept. (John 11:35).When Lazarus died, Jesus found Mary and the Jews weeping, and the Bible says “He groaned in the spirit, and was troubled. (Vs. 33). Jesus told the people to roll the stone away, and then said to Martha, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (Vs. 40). The Bible goes on to say how Jesus called Lazarus forth, and he was brought back to life. Can you imagine the rejoicing and dancing that had to have taken place? Glory! Jesus knew what it was to be hungry and thirsty. He knew what it was to be rejected, and spit upon. He knew what it was to have His best friends run away when He needed them. And Jesus, who knew no sin, willingly went to the Cross as a substitute for us, took on our sins, felt the agony of the Father turning away from Him, and suffered a horrific painful death. The Good News is that He Rose again! He is alive forever more! The Bible tells us that because Jesus continues forever He has an unchangeable priesthood, and always lives to make intercession for us. (Hebrews 10:24,25). Jesus is the Perfect High Priest! To know that God’s hand is upon us for good, is perhaps the most precious awareness a human being can have. We have the hand of the Shepherd, enfolding us, bringing us to a peace that only He can give. Our part is to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and allow His purposes and plans to unfold in our life. Sometimes we feel as if we cannot sit back, that we MUST do something. But when we don’t know what to do, the best thing is to do is nothing. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak and guide. He is our most intimate companion, and He knows more about us than we do. By giving Him reign over our life, we can come to the place of rest and relaxation. We can know that God knows everything about us, and that He is in control if we allow Him to be. In the Old Testament, God heard the cries of His people, and He spoke through His prophets. He saw Jeremiah’s tears. Today because of Jesus, those who are in Him can know that He hears our cries, and sees our tears. The Bible says “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:1516). Because of the Atonement, we now have access to the very Throne Room of God. We can come before our Heavenly Father, in the Name of Jesus, covered by His precious blood, and appear before Him righteous. When God sees us, He sees Jesus, and He will never deny His Son anything. God, Who is rich in mercy because of His great love for us, even when we were dead in sin, made us alive together with Christ, and has raised us up to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:4-6). Praise God!! Isn’t this something to shout about? Isn’t this something to tell the world about? What victory there is in Jesus! When we celebrate Easter this month, let us take these thoughts into consideration. Because of Jesus, we have hope. Because of Jesus, death has no hold over us. Whether we live or die, we are in His loving care. We will live forever in His Holy Presence. Therefore, let us live with hope and courage. Each day if we ask, God will give us guidance for every new step of the way, grace for new trials, new trust for old fears. He will give us strength for new burdens, and courage for old. He will give us new faith for whatever lies ahead. God bless you, Rev. Barbara Anne Yovino
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