24 July | EVERYONE
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’” Lamentations 3: 22-24
The thin body of a woodcutter walks down a sad little path between old hills and wrinkled paths. In the distance, mountains, valleys, and abysses are fraught with danger. Nearby, is land without apparent life, languid and thirsty bushes. The old man descends singing the lyrics of a hymn: “Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; there is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; as Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be. Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed Thy hand hath provided: great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!”
Jeremiah spoke the words of the verse in a moment of pain and dejection. He felt sad and abandoned as he wrote his lamentations, but suddenly hope shone in his heart. The source of his hope was God and His mercy. In a magnificent expression of faith in the inexhaustible mercies of God, the prophet looked toward the distant future with hope. The panorama had not changed. The darkness was still dense. The winds were blowing strongly. But he was no longer the same person. He dawned a new day and felt full of courage to face difficulties.
The value of hope is not in making your problems disappear, but in giving you the strength to face them. God is an inexhaustible source of mercy, and every morning He gives you a new opportunity to start over. Every morning, the darkness disappears. Every morning, the sun shines. You may not see it because of the storm, but the sun is shining up there, bright and shiny.
Take Action
No matter how bleak your days may seem, remember that every morning God is ready to meet your needs. His provisions are wonderful drops of forgiving and transforming grace. Lift up your head and keep going! Sing “The Lord’s Mercies” (if possible, with your family).