Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:21-23
Her own sister. Fanta’s own sister betrayed her by sleeping with Fanta’s husband. But Fanta also says, “God disappointed me.”
After such a crushing betrayal, Fanta was tempted to give up on God. The West African woman texted the Christian radio station she listens to, to share her story. “The fact that God allowed a series of problems to invade my life and break through what I thought was His protection, led me to say that God does not love me.”
But Fanta heard a devotional on the radio that spoke right into her pain. The speaker read verses in Fanta’s own West African French from the Bible book of Lamentations. She listened to this verse: “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning … . Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow” (Lamentations 3:21-23, 32-33).
Fanta learned that even in crushing disappointment, God welcomed her to come to Him with all her feelings. He included an entire book in the Bible—Lamentations—so we’d know that crying, pleading, and mourning have a place with Him.
Fanta wrote to the broadcaster: “ After a disappointment, it is difficult to resolve to continue walking with God,” she said. “Your message about the right choices to make when you are disappointed by God taught me a lot. I gave up my position, especially toward God, asking Him for forgiveness for my attitude.”
Fanta needed to hear of God’s compassion toward her pain in her own language—the language she first learned from her mother. You can help send devotionals like the one Fanta heard to millions around the world in their own languages. Give a gift today at guidelines.org.
