New Every Morning

Lamentations 3:22-26

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.

I love the feeling of an early spring morning– my heart just streams full of hope. It’s one of those days that I rejoice in getting out of bed and readying myself for the day – spring is full of such hope. Do you know that you can have that hope today, regardless of the weather – regardless of what’s happening to you or around you?

Are you finding your heart gloomy today? Is worry creeping into your thought life? Have you gone through yet another box of tissues? I encourage you today to take those thoughts captive and look to the Lord and His Word for encouragement today. God is a compassionate God – He is there to encourage you and direct you in His Word.

We are looking at Lamentations today. It is widely believed that Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations. Jeremiah had been called to speak for God before he was even born.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

Jeremiah 1:5

Isn’t it amazing that God has plans for each of us before we are even born? God has great plans for you - yes, He has allowed you to lose a baby - yes, that is VERY hard. Yes, God has a plan to bring this tragedy of your life and to create beauty in time - but be patient - grief takes time. God's Word says He will

comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61: 2-3

It takes time - but I have seen over time how God does this. I encourage you to look in your life to see how God is comforting you - being involved in the details of your life. He is growing you for a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

Now let’s learn a bit more about Jeremiah. God had a difficult job planned for Jeremiah. Jeremiah’s job was to call Israel, God’s people, to repent and turn away from their idol worshiping lifestyle. He called them to repent and place their faith and trust in the one, true God. Well, Israel half heartedly tried at first, but no true repentance came, and Jeremiah’s message was hated in Israel. Jeremiah saw the destruction of Jerusalem and saw Israel be turned over to Babylon in captivity.

Jeremiah is often called the weeping prophet. He had a great deal to weep and mourn over. Yet, here in Lamentations 3, we see Jeremiah looking to the Lord even though Jeremiah had seen very dire circumstances. Jeremiah took his eyes off of himself and the circumstances of God’s people and put his eyes on the Lord. He saw God’s compassion, God's mercy, and God’s plan. God's mercies were new every morning for Jeremiah.

Does this mean it's wrong to grieve? Is it wrong to cry? No, this is not wrong - God tenderly cares about your pain and your grief. His Word says

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book. Psalm 56:8 (New Living Translation)

God cares so much for you that He collects your tears in His bottle. He is a compassionate, comforting Father God.

Let's continue in this Lamentations passage:

I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him." Lamentation 3: 24

My NIV Study Bible says that the Hebrew phrase for “therefore I will wait” is the same as “therefore I have hope.” Let’s change the words to that phrase:

I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I have hope in him." Lamentation 3: 24

This is the anchored hope we have – we have the hope of the Lord – that He has a master plan and that plan is good. Today is a day He has called to ask us to rejoice in Him and in His plan. We are to hope in His plan for us and for our children. God is good – yes, he allows hard times and hard circumstances, but he works those circumstances for His glory and for the good of His people. God used that time of Babylonian exile to work out His plan for His glory. God is working through your past and present circumstances to bring a future of glory for Him and of molding you to be the Christian woman He desires you to be. I pray that you look to Him today.

Hope in the Lord today. Remember that God has a plan – He is a God of hope. I pray you cling to that hope today, no matter what your circumstances.

Dear God,

I thank you for the Bible, Your Word. Thank you that it is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). Thank you for Jeremiah and the book of Lamentations. God, Jeremiah saw such hardship, yet he could still hope in You and find his rest in You. God, help me today to rest in You, to hope in You. Help me when I am sad and grieving the loss of my child. I praise You that You have a plan for all of my life - a plan that began before I was born. I praise You that You work all things for your glory. I ask you today to give me that fresh spring-like feeling of joy and hope today. When I find grief and anxiety, bring Your Word to my mind and fill me with the joy of Your presence in my life. Lord, help me to be reminded that You will bring beauty out of the ashes of this time of grief. I pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

I am praying for you dear ladies – praying that your day will be filled with the hope of the Lord.

Fernando Ortego is a favorite Christian artist of mine - here is a video which uses the song "Great is Thy Faithfulness" sung by Fernando. I pray the song reminds you of God's faithfulness and His new mercies each morning.