lost hope.
When we think of God’s mercies being new every morning, the idea sounds refreshing, joyful, even full of hope and promise.
Here’s the thing: this idea comes from Lamentations. The idea that God’s mercies (NLT) or compassions (NIV) are new every morning comes from a book of lament. Context is everything, and in this case, it provides even greater understanding of just how real God’s mercies are new every morning.
In the context of Lamentations 3:1-26, we find that the prophet Jeremiah wrote these words after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. He starts by saying he has seen the affliction “by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.” He gives a long list of afflictions, from broken bones to being weighed down with chains and from being a laughingstock to being trampled in the dust. There are several other afflictions he lays out that are brutal and even compared to being mangled like a lion hiding and dragging him away from the road. That is intense!
Here are a few of those sentiments pulled from Lamentations 3 (NIV) for context:
4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old
and has broken my bones.
…
8 Even when I call out or cry for help,
he shuts out my prayer.
…
11 he dragged me from the path and mangled me
and left me without help.
…
16 He has broken my teeth with gravel;
he has trampled me in the dust.
But then, after ALL of these brutal and devastating things, and confirming that he remembers them well and admitting that his soul is downcast… even in spite of all that, he says (emphasis added):
21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
WOW! After all the affliction that he shared, he still recognizes the Lord’s great love.
The Lord’s mercies and compassions are still new every morning!
The Lord’s faithfulness is still great!
The Lord is still good!
The Lord’s love is still great!
The Lord’s love still never fails!
The Lord is still our portion!
The idea of the Lord’s compassion being new every morning carries so much weight within the context of what Jeremiah has witnessed and how he still has hope because of the Lord’s great love.
After all this, the sentiment that brings an overwhelming sense of hope is this:
31 For no one is abandoned
by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion,
because of the greatness of his unfailing love. (NLT)
Finally, just to clear up any possible confusion on the affliction and how merciful the Lord is:
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone. (NIV)
I pray this challenges us in a way that allows us to see God’s great love for us. I pray this helps us gain perspective on our own circumstances. I pray we are able to “call to mind” God’s great love and because of His love, “have hope,” and “wait for Him” to show us His love.
