Daily Devotional – Friday, October 30, 2026
For the Lord will not cast off forever.
Lamentations 3:31 (NKJV)
The prophet Jeremiah had a sobering message to deliver to the wayward children of God. Because of their incessant rebellion, God would allow the Babylonians to take them into captivity for seventy years. That is what happens when we spurn God’s pleas for repentance and reformation.
According to the Multitudes of His Mercies
Thankfully, God’s message through Jeremiah has a positive side. God would be with His people in exile and would bring them back home after seven decades. Indeed, the Lord had good plans for His people in the midst of their suffering (Read Jeremiah 29:11). While He is a just God who allows people to suffer the consequences of their choices, He is also abundantly merciful and caring.
This is the message that Jeremiah emphasises in Lamentations: “For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.” (Lamentations 3:31-33). Notice that the sins of the wayward people are the ones that forced God to mete the punishment. It is not His character to afflict human beings willingly.
Why God Does Not Cast Sinners Off Forever
This passage has echoes of the parable of the prodigal son. The distraught father, however loving and caring he is, cannot prevent his rebellious son from living at home. Despite these circumstances, he continues to gaze down the road, hoping that the boy will eventually regain his senses and return home. And it happens, and the reunion is full of joyful tears. Who can explain the love and mercy of God for vile sinners like us?
Today, if you have wandered from God, return to Him like the prodigal son because He will not cast you off forever. The trouble and grief you have experienced was meant to lead you back to Him. If you have ever doubted that God forgave you for forsaking Him in the past, let today’s key text remind you that His mercies are limitless and He does not hold grudges.
Prayer
Loving and merciful Father in heaven, thank You because You do not forsake sinners like me forever. Today, I turn to You with a repentant and grateful heart. Heal me of all my backsliding and lead me in the path of righteousness.
