New Every Morning

We have several friends experiencing the harsh, painful and ugly realities of cancer right now. As I talked with our neighbor this morning, I was reminded that some go through trials of all kinds without the hope found in God. Our neighbor’s wife died from cancer a few years ago. Now a close friend of his is in the hospital with cancer, and the outcome, from a physical perspective, does not look good. We also know that from a spiritual perspective it is even worse. Neither our neighbor nor his friend have come to saving faith. It’s hard to know what to say to him because there is no real comfort apart from being in Christ. We continue to love him and pray expectantly for him and his friend, but we have a heaviness because they are both still in darkness.

In contrast, two of our friends who are also facing cancer, are trusting in God’s sovereignty. Like Paul, they have learned whatever the circumstance to be content. This does not mean that there aren’t excruciating days or that their cancer walk is easy, but they view their cancer in light of eternity. Regardless of whether or not God heals their physical bodies here and now, they have hope of eternal life where there is no more sickness, pain, grief, suffering or tears. Both these friends still have joy and are sharing the hope they have. Although we grieve with them for what they are enduring, we too have hope and joy.

I was thinking of the difference in these two perspectives as I read Lamentations 3:21-26, 31-33.

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. 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. . . For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though He cause grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love; for He does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.

Jeremiah is traditionally thought of as the author of Lamentations, and he likely wrote Lamentations during Judah’s exile in Babylon. Before the exile, Jeremiah’s ministry was to proclaim God’s coming judgment on Judah due to Judah’s sin. Jeremiah’s prophecies made him unpopular to say the least and often put his life in danger as well as alienating him. That Jeremiah had a hard life is an understatement.

This is why I love verse 21. In the midst of Jeremiah’s lament for his people, he says, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:” From a human perspective, Jeremiah’s world looked hopeless. Judah was in captivity in Babylon. The Northern kingdom of Israel had been taken over by the Assyrians before Judah’s captivity. Both Judah and Israel had been rebellious against God, and they were reaping the consequences. Jeremiah’s own life wasn’t one of worldly success. Yet, Jeremiah does not spiral out of control in his despair. He purposefully sets his mind on God and that gives him hope.

Jeremiah specifically sets his mind on God’s steadfast love (hesed, God’s covenantal love) that never ceases, His mercies that never end and are new every morning, and God’s great faithfulness. He goes on to declare that God is his portion, God is good and God brings salvation. Therefore, Jeremiah has hope, and we can too since we know that God does not change.

You may have woken up today with the same broken relationship or the same cancer or other health issue. Maybe you woke up with a child who is still wayward or the lack of a job. Maybe you woke up struggling with the same sin or addiction. Those things that are wrong or hurtful, the things we lament seem to keep coming, but Jeremiah encourages us that God’s love, mercy and faithfulness never end. No matter how long our suffering persists, it can never outlast God’s love, mercy and faithfulness because all the trials we face will one day end, but God is eternal.

I know having an eternal perspective can be hard in the midst of suffering, so isn’t it beautiful that God’s mercies not only don’t end, but they are new every morning. Oh, the goodness of God that He doesn’t just tell us to hold on to His past mercy. He gives us new mercies every single day we are alive. Our tendency is to ask, “What have you done for me lately, God?” We forget or ignore all that He has already done for us. God’s answer is that His mercies are new every morning.

Every morning the sun is still in the sky. Every morning gravity and all those other natural laws are still at work. Every morning unseen things in our bodies still function. Every morning there is forgiveness for the new or repeated sins we commit. Every morning His Spirit is still indwelling us to equip us in facing new temptations, new obligations and new situations. Every morning He continues His sanctifying work in us. Every morning He provides for our needs. I have been amazed hearing Christians in extreme poverty or persecution still tell of how God has provided for them. His mercies are new every morning.

You may be wondering why I included verses 31-33, but I think we need to consider them because they reveal even more of who God is. Our suffering may seem to go on and on, but Jeremiah reassures us that the Lord will not cast off forever.

Verse 32 might come as a shock, “but, though He cause grief…” We don’t always know why God allows or causes trials in our lives. For Judah and Israel, it came because of their disobedience, but it can also be the effects of a fallen world (like illness), someone else’s sin against us or our sanctification. In Job’s case, he didn’t get to know why although we do see that he knew God in a deeper way after his suffering. Our suffering can also give us more compassion and understanding to comfort another in their suffering.

Whatever the reason for the suffering, we still see that God will have compassion in accordance to the abundance of His steadfast love. Verse 33 instructs us that afflicting or grieving his children is not something God delights in. His heart towards us is compassionate and overflowing in love. Whatever we are suffering, we trust that God is working it for the good of transforming us to the image of His Son (Romans 8:28-29) because God is good, loving, merciful, faithful and compassionate. Especially when suffering persists, it is easy for us to believe lies about God’s goodness, mercy or love. Like Jeremiah, we need to stop and call to mind what we know is true about God and then take hope in who God is. (An excellent book on Jesus’ compassion toward you is Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund.)

Reflection

Are you more apt to remain in despair in your suffering or to look to God?

Have you functionally doubted some of God’s characteristics in your suffering?

Write out the characteristics of God from our passage today. Recall and praise God for how you have seen these displayed in your circumstance.

Write down some of God’s new mercies you’ve seen today or better yet, start a thankful journal to record them every day.