Biblical hope remembers. As we think about what does biblical hope look like, another aspect of it is that hope remembers. “He has made my teeth grind on gravel, … I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.”Lam. 3:16-18.

Jeremiah was in a tough spot. But then he says in verse 21: “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope; the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; they never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him.” Lamentations 3:21-24.

Notice the firm and confident act of his will when he said: ‘I will hope in Him.’ That is a good decision to make. When your hope is in God, your confident hope in the future is based on God’s faithfulness in the past. This is why hope remembers. This is why your history and testimony are so important.

This is what kept Jeremiah going. Out of an incredible catastrophe, where his loved ones were being killed and captured, the economy was being destroyed, all his possessions were being taken away, the temple destroyed, the government abolished; in the midst of this near total annihilation, Jeremiah remembers God. That is how he overcame despair. That’s how he could keep going. He remembered what God had done in the past. He did not deny or downplay his current tragedy, he was not living in denial; he faced it but he also remembered God.

We have that opportunity as well. Remember what Jesus said when He instituted the Lord’s Supper? “Do this in remembrance of Me.” We remember and we have hope.

I saw two days ago some pictures of how people around the world worshipped last Sunday as they were stuck inside. Quite a number of them had their own worship service right in their home! One kid might read a story, another pray, they could act out some bible story or dad or mom could explain it. I thought that was fantastic! Families were designed to be like little churches!