The Lord, Our Portion

Lamentations 3:24 ~ "'The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him.'"

There is much in this world that people often look to as their portion, that which they believe is their due. Some, not unlike the prodigal son, will look to their inheritance as their due portion. "And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them" (Luke 15:12). Or as the man who cried out to Jesus in Luke 12:13, "Someone in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.'" There are others who look to their portion as that which is due them through their labors. Consider the workers in the parable of the laborers in Matthew 20:10, "Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius."

But, dear Christian, the LORD is our portion--He is our great inheritance. We do not look to the world to fulfill the desires of our heart, for our heart does not desire anything but our Savior. Which is why, when troubled times come and the world is rife with distress and hatred toward God, we look beyond what we can see and know that our portion is Christ. 

Consider the great weight of the persecutions and oppressions faced by Jeremiah. As he laments his prayer before the LORD, he recalls the very real truth that his one great hope, his absolute confidence is that the LORD was his portion--and there is nothing that can diminish such a promise.

Let me encourage you to take time to read the book of Lamentations and hear the heart of the prophet as he watched the judgment of God fall upon the people of Israel. Through Jeremiah, the LORD tried to warn Israel, sought to lead them to repentance, and sent word to the king. "Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin" (Jeremiah 36:2-3). The king's response was to burn the words that were given (see Jeremiah 36:23). 

And now, today, we live in a world filled with sin, and God's word is often dismissed as if it were nothing more than fodder for a fire. And in their dismissal of the LORD, the world will come against the church and we may face the enflamed hatred that they have for Christ. If that should happen, dear one, look to the LORD for your portion. Let us not be like Demas who ran after the world, "For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica" (2 Timothy 4:10). Those who long to have their portion from this world, will ultimately discover that they are holding nothing more than sand. 

And, if the LORD is your portion, then you can put your absolute hope in Him. If He is your portion, you very great reward, and you look beyond this world and to glory for the satisfaction of your heart, then you will never be in a condition of disappointment for you will discover that in His presence is the fulfillment of all His promises to those who long for Him. 

In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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