When the Splendor Is Gone，light of truth Shined through 失去光彩,真光照耀
Dexu Xia
When the Splendor Is Gone，light of truth Shined through
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
I can never recapture the splendor that was our daughter Melissa. Fading from my memory are those wonderful times when we watched her joyfully playing high school volleyball. And it’s sometimes hard to remember the shy smile of contentment that crossed her face when we were doing family activities. Her death at age seventeen dropped a curtain on the joy of her presence.
In the book of Lamentations, Jeremiah’s words show he understood that the heart can be punctured. “My splendor is gone,” he said, “and all that I had hoped from the Lord” (3:18). His situation was far different from yours and mine. He had preached God’s judgment, and he saw Jerusalem defeated. The splendor was gone because he felt defeated (v. 12), isolated (v. 14), and abandoned by God (vv. 15–20).
But that’s not the end of his story. Light shined through. Jeremiah, burdened and broken, stammered out “I have hope” (v. 21)—hope that comes from realizing that “because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed” (v. 22). And here is just what we need to remember when the splendor is gone: God’s “compassions never fail. They are new every morning” (vv. 22–23).
Even in our darkest days, God’s great faithfulness shines through.
How has God encouraged you when you felt hopeless? How might He want you to use that to encourage others?
Thank You, Father, that You’re the God of compassion. Even while I walk through the valley of darkness, morning will follow as I remember Your compassion and Your faithfulness.
失去光彩,真光照耀
我们不至消灭，是出于耶和华诸般的慈爱，是因祂的怜悯不致断绝。—耶利米哀歌3章22节
我再也无法重拾女儿梅莉莎昔日的光彩了。她中学时期兴高采烈地打排球的美好身影，似乎也渐渐从我的记忆中消逝。有时我甚至难以记起，每当我们全家聚在一起时，那掠过她脸上惬意的羞涩笑容。梅莉莎在十七岁那年因车祸过世，她带给我们的欢乐也因此落幕。
在耶利米哀歌，耶利米的话语表明，他了解人锥心的痛楚。他说：“我失去光彩了！我失去一切对上主的指望了”（3章18节，新普及译本）。然而，他的情况与你我大不相同。耶利米宣讲上帝的审判，亲眼看见耶路撒冷城被敌人攻破。他失去光彩，是因为他感到自己被击垮（12节）、被孤立（14节），甚至被上帝抛弃（15-20节）。
然而，这并不是耶利米的结局。因上帝的真光照耀，让饱受煎熬与折磨的耶利米能够说自己心中有指望（21节）。这指望是因他了解“我们不至消灭，是出于耶和华诸般的慈爱”（22节）。当我们失去光辉时，只需铭记：上帝的“怜悯不致断绝。每早晨这都是新的”（22-23节）。即使在我们最黑暗的日子里，上帝伟大的信实依然光辉闪耀，能驱走一切的幽暗。
天父，谢谢祢，祢是满有怜悯的上帝。纵然我行过黑暗的幽谷，但若牢记祢的怜悯与信实，明亮的早晨也会随即到来。
在你感到绝望时，上帝如何鼓励你？祂会希望你如何藉此鼓励他人？