Do you ever wonder how you’re supposed to trust God’s goodness when life feels completely shattered—especially in seasons of deep grief, chronic illness, or long unanswered questions?
In this episode on Lamentations 3:21–24, we explore how calling God’s character to mind—His steadfast love, new mercies, and great faithfulness—can give real hope right in the middle of lament, not just after the storm has passed.
Description
In this Life as Worship episode, Angela talks with former hospice and hospital chaplain Charleen Burghardt about Lamentations 3:21–24 and how to find real hope in the middle of deep grief.
Charleen explains the context of Lamentations—Jerusalem destroyed, the temple gone, and tears “flowing like a river”—and how the writer pauses to remember God’s steadfast love, new mercies every morning, and great faithfulness.
She also shares her story of raising two sons with a rare disease, wrestling with “why,” and slowly choosing to focus on God’s character instead of answers, opening her eyes to mercies and leading her into chaplaincy and grief ministry.
Episode Highlights
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What Lamentations is: five poetic laments that honestly name tears, devastation, and spiritual confusion after Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed.
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The pivot in Lamentations 3: “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope”—shifting from circumstances to God’s character.
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The meaning of hesed, God’s steadfast covenant love that never ceases and cannot be broken by our failures or circumstances.
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How God’s mercies being “new every morning” shows up in everyday gifts we often overlook, from breath itself to practical provision and timely help.
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“The Lord is my portion”: learning to treat God Himself as enough and the center of our hope, rather than our circumstances or achievements.
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Charleen’s journey through rare disease, disability, counseling, and calling—how God used her pain to shape her ministry to grieving and suffering people.
Great Quotes
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“In the middle of all this devastation, the writer of Lamentations stops and says, ‘This I call to mind’—he changes his viewpoint to gaze on God’s character, not his circumstances.”
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“We don’t have any experience on earth with love that never ceases. God’s steadfast love is unbreakable, unconditional, and forever.”
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“I had to take my ‘why’ and put it on the back burner, and instead look at who God is. As I did that, I began to see His mercies—the things I would have missed before.”
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“You never think about breathing until you can’t. Even the simple ability to breathe is one of God’s mercies that are new every morning.”
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“It wasn’t a switch I flipped. It was moment by moment, day by day—often with counseling and help—but underneath it all was this truth: great is Your faithfulness.”
Resources Mentioned
Related Episodes (from Life as Worship)
Newsletter Invitation
If Lamentations 3 and Charleen’s story reminded you that God’s steadfast love and new mercies are still real even in the darkest seasons, I’d love to keep walking with you.
Subscribe to the Life as Worship newsletter for a weekly devotion, small group discussion questions, and a 10‑minute thought filter to help you stop spiraling thoughts—plus a link to that thought filter download to keep you rooted in God’s truth: eepurl.com/h3Nafz.
