Lamentations is really a collection of five poems, probably written by Jeremiah. These five poems include some of the most painful language in all of Scripture.

The kingdom of Judah had come to an end after invasion by a foreign king. The practice of their religion at Solomon's temple had ceased because the temple had burned. And the city of Jerusalem—all its houses and shops and even its great walls—was in ruins.

Jeremiah, in the book of Lamentations, poured all his sorrow into its five poems. And yet, they're not without hope. In the middle of the third poem, a burst of sunlight breaks through the sorrow:

“It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not con­sumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22, 23).

No matter how bad life gets, we can say, “Great is thy faithfulness. Thy blessings are new every morning.” We have the promise that after every storm comes the sunshine.