Mercies New
Maybe you have been feeling it too. You know, the weight of the world on your shoulders, or perhaps the deep ache and hollow depths of loss. Or maybe, it is the clear division and disunity we see in all of this unrest we face these days, and the sheer hatred that is so boldly declared before our witness. It is as if we are hit on every side. The prayer needs are flooding in, and scarcely can your knees hit or leave the floor before another comes.
What is this world we are living in? Have we ever felt this kind of continual ache? I’m constantly drawn to my knees in prayer. It feels like there is a heaviness these days, and often times, I find I don’t have the words to say, so I pray. And I consider, “what does the Word of God say?” It is easy to get hyper-focused on opinions and who believes what, but in the end, it is the truth that will stand. But in the middle of all of this, I’m grateful for new morning mercies each day.
““Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed Because His compassions fail not, They are new every morning; Great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (NKJV)
I’ve heard it said that, “There are a thousand things that God is doing every time something painful happens to you. Most of these you do not know or understand, just as Job, Joseph, and Esther did not know what God was doing in their losses.”
What would have happened if they didn’t recognize the brand new mercies of God in the midst of their pain, and in the things that they didn’t understand as to why they were happening in their lives.
What if Job in losing everything didn’t trust in the mercies of God? Would he have been blessed?
What if Joseph, in the hurt of being sold by his brothers into slavery, falsely accused by his master’s wife, and thrown into prison, held onto the pain of his circumstances and the uncertainty it produced, instead of believing in the faithfulness of God?
What if Esther, in the pain of being raised an orphan, and later being taken away from the life that she knew into one that was all too uncertain, didn’t trust in God’s faithfulness? What would have happened to the Jews?
Don’t be limited by carrying yesterday’s load. What God has for you today you can only take up in its fullness when you recognize each day as a brand new mercy. His faithfulness will see you through. God is greater than our circumstances. 2020 was a pretty crazy year, and who of us can say that we understand what was happening in our lives then, and even now? There are so many opinions, and so much mistrust that has been bred into society. That mistrust, I feel, has only increased the number of deaf ears upon which the opinions fall. If we don’t trust a source, why would we listen? We need to go back to the Word of God and see what He says. Proverbs 15:28 says, “The heart of the righteous studies how to answer…” I know many of us are experiencing loss of some sort. Be it a loss of a friend or family member, a loss of a friendship (maybe due to strong opinions), loss of a job, loss of life the way we’re used to living it…and still others, but His mercies are new every morning.
What situation do you find yourself in right now in which you feel like you are losing something? How can you recognize God’s faithfulness today in this situation?
Perhaps that weight, and that heaviness we have been feeling has become more a focus than the mercies that come new each day. God is faithful. And as we dwell on Him and his faithfulness, we can live in hope. Hope is not wishful thinking, but an expectation based in the character of God. He is good, and he is faithful. We can trust in Him.
Lord, help us in the times we are losing, to see with heavenly vision what we can gain in You. Thank you that you are faithful in every circumstance, every pain, every loss, every aspect of our lives. Let us live in such a way that we let love prevail in our lives, words, and actions. As we are confident in your faithfulness and new mercies, let us show your love. May you be glorified in us today.