New Mercies

 

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies 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

 

These verses make great statements and promises about God. What security and joy there is in knowing that His mercies are new every morning, that His steadfast love is just that: steadfast. His faithfulness is great, this gives us reason to hope. 

It is good to keep a running list of what God has done for us lately. Many of us have a story of how God saved us and some even one about how He delivered them from some tragedy or illness or addiction. But, often the glory of those things fades over the years. It begins to seem to some like He has forgotten them because the needs are not as great. Difficult times come and it’s hard to remember the last time God did something big and memorable in our lives. 

Remember His faithfulness. He demonstrates it even in the little things. Has He saved you from eternity in hell? Do you have a solid foundation from His Word? Has He given you a place to worship where His word is consistently taught with integrity? Do you have a good Christian friend? Do you eat every day and have a warm, dry home to live in? Are you able to pay your bills? Has He given you a family that cares about you? Do you know how to pray? 

Not everyone will have all of these all the time. Any one of them would be evidence of blessing from the Lord. He gives us everything and every ability that we have. He is faithful and provides what we need. We don’t always see that it’s from Him but we know it is because all things come from Him. (Hebrews 2:10; 2 Peter 1:3). 

Because of His past faithfulness we can know that God will be faithful when the next difficult time strikes and the Bible assures us that in this life we will have trouble. (Job 14:1) So, how do we remember His faithfulness when it comes? 

Many times the Bible tells us to be thankful. A thankful heart will see something that God is doing everyday, little blessings that He gives us in the routine of life. Minor blessings every day may include things like the budget worked so the money was there to pay for the heat this month, or there is still food in the refrigerator at the end of the pay period, or a friend got some good news today. Taste, sight, hearing, touch – all blessings. When we call to mind God’s blessings and praise Him for them then we will be reminded of His past goodness – His faithfulness to us. 

When hard times hit He is our hope. Our difficulties do not surprise Him or stumble Him. He knows exactly what we need. The next verses in that passage say, “The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3:25-26

Will we wait for Him to come to us in our troubles? He’s good to us when we wait and don’t try to make a plan without him because we think He’s taking too long or that He doesn’t understand what’s happening to us. His mercy – the mercy that’s new every morning – will be so much better for us than anything we can come up with on our own. 

“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”