Hope in the Valley of Tears

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end.” Jeremiah writes these words in the midst of heartbreak. That’s why the book is called Lamentations. He had just witnessed the fall of Jerusalem. Years earlier, the Assyrians conquered the ten northern tribes. Now the Babylonians had come because God was pouring out His wrath on Judah’s apostasy, false worship, and the wickedness they embraced.

Jeremiah had warned them. He pleaded with them to repent. They refused. And now he looks back—having wished to die in Jerusalem—but instead being taken by faithful worshipers down to Egypt. In the midst of national collapse, personal sorrow, and spiritual devastation, he writes these words of hope.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” I come to those words often in ministry. They feel especially relevant now with what many of our members are facing.

And it puts little annoyances in perspective. This morning the sign wasn’t on. The computer backup power was beeping, letting me know the power was drained. Half the lights didn’t work. The organ had no power. We had to hold early service in the fellowship hall. OG&E got things working halfway through. It felt like a big deal, to be without power. But in the grand scheme, it’s a minor annoyance.

We have members with terminal diagnoses. We have families who have lost loved ones in recent weeks. We have emergencies, heartbreaks, and fears.

Even in the midst of pain and sorrow—even in the valley of the shadow of death—God’s steadfast love never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. And we know this because Christ died for us.

All the way back in Genesis 3:15, God promised to fix what we broke. The rest of Scripture unfolds that promise until it reaches us today. Though we deserve temporal and eternal punishment, God treats the world through the blood of the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. His blood has blotted out your sin and removed it as far as the east is from the west.

God treats us in His love. That’s what makes Him Lord. His steadfast love, chesed — often translated into Greek as agape —never ceases. It is relentless. It comes to us every day. It is for the whole world. God desires all to be saved. Christ came for the whole world.

And our peace, hope, and comfort, even in heartbreak, broken families, funerals, hospital rooms, tornado warnings, and softball‑sized hail, is that God’s love is greater than the sin that afflicts this world and our lives.

We look to the cross and it is empty. We look to the tomb and it is empty. Even though we die, even though our loved ones die, there is hope. Even though we battle illness, face mortality, or wake up to fresh horrors and nightmares, the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.

Christ is greater. He is risen. He is risen indeed.

Even though God causes grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love. He does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men. His judgment is His alien work; His mercy is His natural work.

God treats us through His Son. You are not cast off. You are not abandoned. You are not lost. He has sought you. He has forgiven you. He has brought you here.

You have experienced the Lord. He is your portion. He is your hope. He feeds you today. And this promise is not just for you it is for your children and for those far off. When Peter spoke those words, we were the ones far off.

You have a peace and hope greater than the world. You have life everlasting, abundant life. Not “your best life now,” but eternal life with Jesus Christ.

Everyone has scars. Everyone has trauma. Everyone carries something, sometimes fresh, sometimes old.

But God’s love for you never ceases. The cross reigns over time. Christ walks with you. He promises to return. He will remake the world. Your pains, sorrows, scars, and heartbreaks, the sin that has afflicted you and the sin in your heart, will be gone forever. He will wipe away your tears with His own hand. And you will dwell with the Lord forever as His beloved children.

In Christ’s name. Amen.