New Mercies Every Morning

Don’t you love that God’s mercies are new every morning? I do. I love the thought of having a fresh start every day.

It took me a while to find this in Lamentations because I had a condensed version in my head. Maybe I had heard someone say it or had read it somewhere, but “His mercies are new every morning” isn’t actually a direct quote from Scripture, at least in the translations I regularly use.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. - Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV

To me, this is better than what was stuck in my head, because I see God’s steadfast love. Steadfast means firmly fixed, resolute, unwavering. God’s love for us is unwavering and will not be moved. That’s why His mercies and compassion toward us will never come to an end; they flow from His steadfast love. Because of His steadfast love, I can have that fresh start every day.

It gets even better! If you look at the context for these verses, you’ll see that the author (thought to be Jeremiah) is lamenting over Jerusalem. Things were really bad. Jerusalem had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, who carried away most of the people to Babylon. Those who were left had very little. In the midst of his grief for his city, his people, and himself, Jeremiah finds hope by remembering God’s steadfast love and mercy. Then, he praises God for his great faithfulness.

This is both remarkable and challenging to me. Do I trust the Lord enough to hold on to my hope in Him during times of disaster and destruction? I pray so. I’m thankful for the struggles I do have. These struggles help my faith to grow stronger so that, should I ever have to face some catastrophe, I can respond like Jeremiah and thank God for His love, compassion, and faithfulness.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. - James 1:2-4 ESV

Think About: How have you experienced God’s steadfast love in times of crisis?