Day 4

January 11

Paneen Froneberger

Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV

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

Lamentations is an Old Testament book most likely written by the prophet, Jeremiah. It’s a book that speaks of the grief and sorrow at the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon. The interesting thing is that while the five chapters mourn the loss of Jerusalem and its people, it’s not all doom and gloom! There is a single message of God’s goodness, hope, and faithfulness in the passage. We are reminded in this Word that God has made us a promise, a promise that His love and mercies never end, but rather are new every morning. The interesting thing is that God gives us exactly the mercies we need for one day; they don’t roll over from one day to the next. 

When tomorrow comes we have new mercies, a new dose of His love. We also have a choice as we begin each new day. We can choose to trust that God is going to do what He promised and provide us with new love and mercies for the day or we can go through the day doubting His Word. We can be on the lookout for His faithfulness or blind to His provisions. 

We will have many opportunities in 2023 to see God living out the promises of Lamentations 3:22-23.  Because God is the same yesterday, today and forever, we will receive the same new mercies and love as did the Israelites of so long ago. I pray that before our feet even hit the floor as we wake up each morning, we take time to thank God in advance for the mercies of the day that God has already planned for us!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are such a gracious and generous God. You have known us since before we were born and You have prepared mercies for each of our days. Help us to look for those mercies and to appreciate how much You love us. Help us to trust that when the new day begins, the mercies You have promised will be there waiting for us. We love You, Lord. Amen.