2025 Sacred Whispers

“This I recall to my mind; therefore, I have hope. We are not consumed through the Lord’s mercies because His compassions fail not to. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:21-23 (NKJV)

The Book of Lamentations is a poetic lament written by the prophet

Jeremiah while he witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and the

subsequent exile of God’s chosen people. It is a book laden with grief,

painting a vivid picture of ruin, loss, and heartache. Lamentations

embodies a nation’s sorrow as Jerusalem, the heart of God’s chosen

people, is burned to ashes, and women and children are led away into

the hopelessness of the Babylonian exile. Yet, nestled here, right in

the middle of the book, is a spark of light—a reminder that even in the

deepest sorrow, hope has a song. Jeremiah’s words, “This I recall to my

mind, therefore I have hope,” rise up like a melody from the ashes. His

bold declaration reminds us that God’s mercies are new every morning,

and His faithfulness will never change.

LOSING HOPE

I can’t read these verses without reflecting on my own journey—a time

when I thought hope had no song at all. When I was 19 years old, I found

myself homeless, sleeping on a park bench in the heart of Atlanta, near

the college I had just enrolled in. I was broke, hopeless, and filled with

despair. Each day, I would carry my luggage to the Student Center and ask

a few kitchen workers if I could leave my bags while I attended my classes

for that day.

During the day, I worked hard to keep up appearances, trying to hide my

situation from those around me. I’d retrieve my luggage in the evenings,

grateful for whatever snacks those in the kitchen were kind enough to allow

me to eat for free. But then, at night, when the Student Center closed, my 

world grew cold and dark. I’d sit alone on the steps and wonder if I had

made a mistake coming to Georgia to go to school and if I would be okay

throughout the night. By 1 a.m., I would gather my luggage, head to the

park, and find a bench or patch of grass to sleep on.

Lying there under the vast expanse of the night sky, I couldn’t help but feel

a deep, abiding sense of despair and hopelessness. Questions swirled

in my mind: Had God forgotten about me? Did He even have a plan for

my life? Did He know where I was? My anxious thoughts became the only

lullaby that would lull me to sleep. In those moments, it felt as though

hope had abandoned me. I couldn’t imagine that hope could still “sing.”

Even though I was a minister and had preached to others, in my own

heart, I didn’t think that hope existed. In my head, I knew better, but my

heart struggled to feel what my head knew to be true.

FINDING HOPE

But God hadn’t forgotten me. In the midst of my suffering, small acts of

kindness began to weave their melody into my life. A few classmates would

offer me their couches to rest on in the dormitory lobbies. Someone would

hand me their key pass so I could wash my clothes at the end of the week.

Others offered me food or a little money to grab a bite to eat in the Student

Center. At the time, these gestures seemed like drops in a bucket. But

now I realize they were melodies of hope—softly, yet powerfully—singing

their song in my heart. I refused to fall into despair. Though I cried myself

to sleep and hid my face from some of the other kids because I was too

ashamed to let them see me sleeping in the park, I never gave up. I never

stopped humming hope’s song in my heart.

MY SONG OF HOPE

Every morning, even as I woke up on a park bench, God met me with new

mercies. His faithfulness was there, even when my circumstances said

otherwise. He surrounded me with people who reflected His compassion,

people who reminded me that no matter how dark the night seemed,

the dawn was just around the corner. To me, those days were strangely,

but wonderfully, precious days. They became permanent bricks in the

foundation of what made me fall in love with God. While on that park

bench, hope found me. Hope found me not through money, rescue, or

an immediate change in my circumstances. No, hope found me with a

little song:

“When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like

sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, ‘It

is well, it is well, with my soul.’” This is the song that chased away

the darkness for me. This is the melody that brought me hope.

The truth is, God’s faithfulness doesn’t always come the way we may

expect it to. Sometimes, it’s the quiet voice of a stranger’s kindness, or the

untraceable strength to get back up after falling down, or maybe even the

courage to keep going when all seems lost. The song that hope sings in

your heart may not be loud, but it is always persistent. It echoes through

the chambers of our hearts, reminding us that no matter how dark it gets,

we are not consumed because God’s compassions will never fail.

THE PURPOSE OF HOPE

As I look back, I see how those days on the park bench played a significant

part in the foundation of my life’s ministry to homeless, hurting, and

helpless individuals and families. He was my strength when I was weak,

my light in the darkness, and the steady rhythm of hope that kept my heart

from breaking. I learned that even in the most difficult seasons of life, the

song of hope can still be heard if we just learn to listen close enough.

Today, you may find yourself in a season of ruin or despair. Perhaps you’re

lying awake at night, questioning God’s plan, wondering if He sees you.

Let this truth rise within you: His mercies are new every morning. His

compassions never fail. Hope’s song is still singing, even if it’s just a faint

melody in your heart.

Remember, hope doesn’t deny that your pain is real; it simply declares

that God’s love is greater than your pain. No matter how dark the night,

His faithfulness can’t be shaken. Every morning, He offers us a fresh start,

renewed strength, and a reason to keep going.

PRAYER

Lord, thank You for Your faithfulness that never wavers. When I am

overwhelmed by despair, remind me that Your mercies are new every

morning. Help me to hear the song of hope that You are singing over my life.

May I trust in Your unchanging love and find strength in Your compassion.

You are the anchor of my soul, and I rest in the promise that You will never

leave me. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

DAILY SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE

Find a quiet moment each morning this week to reflect on God’s new

mercies for the day. Write down three things you are grateful for and

meditate on Lamentations 3:21-23. Let these truths renew your hope and

frame your day with gratitude and trust in God’s faithfulness.