Lamentations 3:21-23 - Hope Springs from Gods Faithful Love and Compassion Every Morning.
Lamentations 3:21-23 (NKJV) This I recall to
my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the
Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His
compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great
is Your faithfulness.
INTRODUCTION
In Jerusalem's darkest moment, Jeremiah's
heart was strengthened with one ray of hope: "The
faithful love of the LORD never ends! ... Great is
his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each
morning." God had promised Israel that punishment
would follow disobedience, and it did. But God
also had promised future restoration and
blessing, and Jeremiah knew that God would keep that
promise also. God had been faithful in bringing
judgment on the people of Jerusalem for their sins,
and he would also be faithful in bringing
restoration to those who returned to him. God is
faithful - both in punishment and grace.
Perhaps you feel broken by God - maybe
even abandoned. Let each new day be a reminder to
you that God is faithful. With each new day, he
has given you a new opportunity to respond to
his grace, to change, to love him more, and to
give up the sins you've cherished.
God's steadfast love and mercy are
greater than any sin, and he promises forgiveness.
Submit to the yoke of his discipline, and trust in
him for the forgiveness and restoration that he
has promised. [One Year NLT SB re Lam.
3:19-27]
COMMENTARY PEARLS
When You Have Been Hurt
My family went through a situation this
year in which someone we trusted completely let
us down. It was one of those things you think
can't possibly ever happen in a million years. And
then it does. We were blindsided. We were all
hurt, but those of us closest to the situation
were devastated. When something like this
happens, it's natural to think, Well, if that
happened, anything can happen. I guess I can't trust
anyone. It's probably not a healthy reaction, but
it's human.
When I am shocked like this and the world
seems upside down - like nothing I thought - I try
to remind myself of the things I do know. It's
kind of like grasping for something to hold onto
in the dark. Calling those things to mind
brings me hope, even if there aren't very many
things I really know. But these verses in
Lamentations speak to the few things that really matter:
His compassion never fails. He is always
faithful.
Always faithful. That's something no
human can be, not even the best ones, not in every
possible sense of the word. We fail each other, but
Jesus never does. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus promises
to be with us always. He doesn't say sometimes
or most of the time or when He feels like it or
when it is convenient. He is faithful. We have
hope in Him because His word is always true,
faithful, and trustworthy - we can depend on it. Gwen
Ford Faulkenberry
Faith Step: Commit Lamentations 3:21-23
to memory so you can call it to mind when you
need hope. [Mornings With Jesus 2022 Devotional
by Guideposts and Zondervan]
When You Have Failed
Failure can be isolating. When youre
in the middle of a failure, you often feel
ashamed and just want to be alone. But Jesus is with
you always, even in your greatest failure.
To help you through your failures, Jesus
does three incredible things:
Jesus prays for you. Even before Peter
had failed, Jesus told him, I have prayed for
you, that your faith will not fail (Luke 22:32
NASB).
Even at this very moment, Jesus is
interceding - praying - for you. The Bible says, He
is able, once and forever, to save those who
come to God through him. He lives forever to
intercede with God on their behalf (Hebrews 7:25
NLT).
Jesus believes in you. In fact, he
expects you to heal and recover. Thats why he
told Peter before his big failure, When you
have repented and turned to me again.... (Luke
22:32 TLB). Jesus knew Peter would sin and fail
and eventually come back to him.
The truth is that we all fail, and we
fail repeatedly. Your biggest weaknesses are
habitual. You dont just do them one time and
thats it. You do them over and over. But God
isnt there just for the big, one-time mess-up.
Hes there for the mistakes you make over and
over again. Though you fail repeatedly, God will
always believe in you.
Jesus shows you mercy. Jesus is more
willing to show mercy than youre willing to ask
for it. When youre down, Jesus doesnt beat
you up or add to your guilt. Instead, he saves
you.
In John 21, just weeks after Peter had
denied Jesus, Peter and some other disciples went
fishing. Though they fished all night, they caught
nothing. At dawn, Jesus called to them from the shore
and told them where to throw their nets. So
they did, and they couldnt haul in the net
because there were so many fish in it (John 21:6
NLT).
When Peter followed Jesus
instructions, he caught more fish than he could possibly
handle. Jesus is ready to do the same for you. He
can do more in five minutes of your life than
you can do in 50 years of planning.
Heres more good news: Gods mercy
toward you is not dependent on your performance.
The Bible says in Lamentations 3:22-23, The
steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies
never come to an end; they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness (ESV).
Friend, you may give up on God, but
hes never going to give up on you. Jesus is
praying for you, believes in you, and will always
show you mercy. No matter what you do, God is
faithful. [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Lamentations 3:21-23 - Hope Springs from
Gods Faithful Love and Compassion Every Morning.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211104-0851.html
Lamentations 3:21-23 - Hope Springs from
Gods Faithful Love and Compassion Every Morning.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190829-1101.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
