The Lord is my Portion

Note to self,

Today I wanted to start of on a high note, filled with joy and hope, so obviously I went to the book of Lamentations...

Okay, so maybe I'm not feeling all sunshine and rainbows this morning, but the book of Lamentations is in the Bible for a reason. We often forget in the hard seasons of life that we are not the only Christians to ever go through hard times. You don't have to look hard to find stories of martyrs, grieving parents, and loss. But all woven throughout the laments, there are words of hope in the God who is in control of it all.

Maybe you can resonate with these words from Lamentations chapter 3.

I have been deprived of peace;

I have forgotten what prosperity is.

So I say, “My splendor is gone

and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”

Lamentations 3:17-18 NIV

No matter what you're waiting for, or what is bringing you discouragement in life, I'm sure we've all lacked peace. If I'm honest, hope in the Lord sounds terrifying in these times. When we hope, we open ourselves up to be hurt and disappointed.

When we're talking about hoping in depraved humans, it makes sense that we'd be wary of having high expectations. People will let us down. People are terrible sources to put our hope in. But with God, it's different. God is good (all the time) and he isn't in the business of letting his people down.

I remember my affliction and my wandering,

the bitterness and the gall.

I well remember them,

and my soul is downcast within me.

Yet this I call to mind

and therefore I have hope:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;

therefore I will wait for him.”

Lamentations 3:19-24 NIV

Yet this I call to mind, God is love. He will not fail us. He is faithful regardless of how much faith we have. The concept of the Lord being our portion is also in Psalm 16:5 and Psalm 119:57.

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Psalm 16:5-8 NIV

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In the night, LORD, I remember your name, that I may keep your law. This has been my practice: I obey your precepts. You are my portion, LORD; I have promised to obey your words. I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.

Psalm 119:55-58 NIV

Both of these passages have a theme of obedience and trusting in God to guide, instruct, and counsel us. Even when everything seems chaotic and out of control, it isn't. If you are living a life submitted to Christ, there is absolutely nothing out of control. The thing is, it's not your control that's the goal.

When we feel out of control, it serves as a reminder that we were never meant to be in control, but to surrender control to the one who knows better.

I tend to want to control everything and everyone. I fear the unknown and the way to make sure everything is predictable and known is to make sure my will is done. The trouble is, life doesn't work that way. Nor should it. Just like people are terrible subjects of our trust, we are just as bad (if not worse). When I put my faith in myself and my ability to perfectly control my environment, I end up not only disappointed, but devastated. And what's more, I hurt those around me.

Instead, I want to give up that controlling nature and trust in God to be my guide. What does it mean for God to be my portion? The Enduring word Bible commentary put it well:

"As in Psalm 119:57, Jeremiah found the key to satisfaction—finding one’s portion in the LORD. Whatever measure he was to receive, whatever inheritance, whatever future, it would all be found in Yahweh."1

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,

to the one who seeks him;

it is good to wait quietly

for the salvation of the Lord.

It is good for a man to bear the yoke

while he is young.

Let him sit alone in silence,

for the Lord has laid it on him.

Let him bury his face in the dust—

there may yet be hope.

Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,

and let him be filled with disgrace.

For no one is cast off

by the Lord forever.

Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,

so great is his unfailing love.

For he does not willingly bring affliction

or grief to anyone.

Lamentations 3:25-33 NIV

When the Lord is my portion, I have hope in him even in the midst of the hardships of life. God hasn't left me. There are things in this life that are too much to bear alone. But that is by design. God didn't create us in a vacuum. He created us to rely on others and on Himself.

So it's not dangerous to hope in God. In fact, it is the only way to get through the hard things. Even in the midst of despair, Jeremiah knows that his pain is only temporary. There is more for us here on earth and unfathomably more for us in heaven. So don't focus in on your pain today, instead focus on learning who your God is. Remember his nature and his faithfulness to his people in the past. If you have a personal relationship with that God. You will always have hope and a future.

Lord, forgive me for trying to trust in myself instead of in you. Show me your goodness through the works you've done in my past and the faithfulness you've shown all throughout the scriptures. Remind me that your love is not just for "the world" but somehow you also know and love me intimately. Remind me that you care even the smallest of things in my own life and you know every hair on my head. Give me hope for the future and be my portion today.

Amen.

1 Enduring word bible commentary lamentations chapter 3. Enduring Word. (2025, February 7). https://enduringword.com/bible-

commentary/lamentations-3/