May 28

Morning

And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. — Rom 8:30 BSB

Here’s a precious truth for you, believer. You may be poor, suffering, or unknown, but take heart by reflecting on your “calling” and the glorious future that comes with it. If you are truly God’s child today, then rest assured that all your trials will soon come to an end, and you will be rich in every way imaginable. Wait a little longer, and that weary head will wear a crown of glory, and those hands will hold the palm branch of victory. Don’t lament your troubles but rejoice that soon you will be in a place where “there is no more sorrow, no more crying, no more pain.” The chariots of fire are already waiting at your door, and in a moment, they will carry you to glory. The everlasting song is nearly on your lips, and the gates of heaven are open, waiting for you.

Don’t fear that you might fall short of entering this rest. If He has called you, nothing can separate you from His love. Troubles won’t break the bond; persecution won’t burn the link; and hell itself can’t shatter the chain. You are secure! The same voice that called you from death to life will one day call you from earth to heaven, from the shadows of death into the splendor of eternal life. Be confident—His heart, the One who justified you, beats with infinite love for you. Soon, you’ll be with the glorified, where you belong. For now, you are being made ready for your inheritance. And when that work is done, angels will carry you away to the mountain of peace, joy, and eternal blessing, where, “Far from a world of grief and sin, with God eternally shut in,” you will rest forever.

Evening

Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: — Lam 3:21 BSB

Memory is often a slave to despair. When we’re discouraged, we tend to remember all the dark moments of our past and dwell on the gloom of the present. Our memory, wrapped in mourning, serves up a bitter cup of sorrow and regret. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With wisdom, we can train our memory to become an angel of comfort. The same memory that brings sorrow can be taught to bring hope. Instead of wearing a crown of thorns, it can wear a crown of gold, sparkling with the light of God’s goodness.

This was Jeremiah’s experience. In one verse, his memory humbled him: “My soul remembers them and is humbled within me.” But in the very next verse, the same memory revived him: “This I recall to mind, and therefore I have hope.” Memory, like a sharp sword, cut down his pride with one edge and then defeated his despair with the other. If we were to use our memory wisely, even in our darkest moments, we could spark the light of comfort and hope. God doesn’t need to create something new to restore our joy. If we would prayerfully dig through the ashes of our past, we would find embers of light for the present. By turning to God’s Word and His throne of grace, our light would shine as brightly as before.

Let’s make it a practice to remember the Lord’s loving-kindness and recount His deeds of grace. Open the book of remembrance, which is richly filled with testimonies of mercy, and we will soon be filled with joy. In this way, our memory can become, as Coleridge called it, “the fountain of joy,” and when the Holy Spirit uses it, it can be one of the greatest sources of comfort in our lives.