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. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

- Lamentations 3:22-26 (NIV)

There have been many days when I was glad for the night to come because I knew there was a new day tomorrow. Today might have been dreadful but there is always tomorrow and as Jeremiah, the prophet said, “His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; “great is your faithfulness.” 

Probably all of us are familiar with the hymn Great is Your Faithfulness. It is no surprise that we sing this in times of trouble and even tragedy as it lifts our eyes to God when we need a reminder of His faithfulness. But let me give you the backstory of the passage above. God had repeatedly warned the nation of Israel that if they did not change their ways He would destroy the nation and allow them to be taken into captivity. Now it is 586 BC and the city of Jerusalem had been destroyed and many taken as captives to Babylon.

God’s prophet Jeremiah is wandering through the devastated city: Buildings destroyed, many fire damaged, looted of any valuables - it was a total ruin not unlike pictures we see today of Syria. The city is quiet but for a few lost souls wandering aimlessly wondering what to do or where to find food and the packs of dogs that are in search of the same. Jeremiah’s heart is broken, his soul is desperately tired. It is in this state that he writes the book of Lamentations which means the passionate expression of grief or sorrow; weeping. Like the situation we face today where encouragement is hard to come by. There is no good news to be had. None! 

Except: God has great love for us and His compassions, His care and concern are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness! That is the one thing Jeremiah was sure of and it is the one thing we can be sure of today. As Paul said in Romans 8:35: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loves us.”

Because of this, Jeremiah says “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” He understood that God was enough and that “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him” regardless of the circumstances that surround them. In the end - God wins every time. And His mercies are new for us every single morning. Great is His faithfulness to us!

These are times of anxiety for all of us. This week, whenever you have an anxious thought, say to yourself, Great is His faithfulness: His mercies are new every morning and his compassions never fail. That will direct our eyes to the one place we can ground our hope.

Lord, thank you for your faithfulness to me today. Thank you that your compassions are new every single morning. Help me to trust you in these days of fear and anxiety. Remind me that it is a gift to come to the place where I have nothing to trust in but you. And you are enough. Amen.