October 27, 2023

Lamentations 3: 22, 23 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (NIV)

God is an inexhaustible fountain of mercy, the Father of mercies. (NIV)

The book of Lamentations was written by Jeremiah, AKA “the Weeping Prophet.” In verse 19 of this chapter, he lists some of the things that bring him sorrow: Affliction, wandering, bitterness, gall. But even this poor sad fellow has found a silver lining in his cloud of sorrow: God’s faithfulness. He may wake up every morning with the same old troubles but God’s compassions (mercies, as the King James Version renders it) are fresh and new and never failing. Whatever tired old problems that are dragged through the dark night from yesterday to today, God’s mercy is sufficient for the day.

Our troubles are seldom ever brand new every day either. We usually wake up with the same ones we had the day before. You know what else isn’t new every morning? Our sins. Whatever we struggled with yesterday, we are probably going to be working on it again today. But God is not daunted by our weakness. As he told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (II Corinthians 12: 9) You might say that his grace is new every morning.

God is not limited by my weaknesses but liberated by them!*