“I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope.”

Lamentations 3:20-21

Memory is frequently the agent of misery. A sad frame of mind will easily call up every dark day in your past and every gloomy regret from days gone by. Wisdom, however, can transform memory into an angel of comfort. That’s what happened to Jeremiah. In today’s Scripture, he confesses, “My soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope.” Jeremiah had trained his memory to look on the bright side, the hopeful side—which is always God’s side. He knew God was at work even during dark times in his past, and Jeremiah let that powerful truth bring hope and comfort to his soul.

Today, if you find yourself assaulted by sad memories, recall how God miraculously worked through even those losses, failures, and disappointments. Remember the loving-kindness of the Lord, and look for the trace of His hand in every downcast moment from your past.

Father in heaven, I have plenty to regret. And if I dredge them up, there have been long struggles, lonely hours, hurtful words, and dark times aplenty in my past. Today, I choose to remember how You have woven the tapestry of my life with dark threads and bright golden ones, creating a work of beauty, a masterpiece of grace.