New Every Morning

Our home faces slightly east of south, which means that, in the winter, we can see the sunrise. This morning it was beautiful as the sun came up over the snow-sprinkled hills opposite, its golden light reflected in the clouds.

As I saw it, I thought of these well-known words from Lamentations. The whole book describes the ruins of Jerusalem and Jeremiah’s grief over all that had happened. Yet, right at the heart of his lament, he proclaims God’s love, His compassion, and His faithfulness, ‘new every morning’.

His loving kindnesses! It’s that well-known Hebrew word, chesed, God’s covenant love. Malcolm Smith, in his book, The Power of the Blood Covenant, describes this word as meaning, ‘God keeping every word and giving every blessing He has promised’. Jeremiah puts it in the plural – ‘loving kindnesses’ – because God demonstrates His love to us over and over again.

And His compassion. This word reflects the love of a mother for her new-born baby. It is full of tenderness. It speaks of His readiness to meet our every need. In the Hebrew, this word is plural, too: God’s compassions. Whatever our need, He has just the right kind of compassion. When Sue was in a maternity hospital ward after giving birth to our daughter, if one baby cried at night, all the mums woke up. God’s like that. The moment He hears one of His children cry out to Him, He’s on the case. Actually, He’s even better, because He never goes to sleep.

Then, there’s His faithfulness. The Hebrew word means strength and stability. God always keeps His word because He never changes. He is ‘the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows’ (James 1:17).

Tomorrow may not bring another sparkling sunrise – it may be all wet and dreary. But the sun will still be there. Whatever I might feel, God’s loving kindnesses will still be there, and his compassions, and all His faithful strength and stability.

At present, we live in a very troubled world. And, maybe, your personal circumstances are difficult. But God doesn’t change. He has all the strength of solid rock, and all the tenderness of a loving mother. As Isaiah says: ‘Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, these may forget, yet I will not forget you!’ (Isaiah 49:15). His loving kindnesses and His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness – today and every day.

Prayer: Father, thank You that, whatever my circumstances, whatever challenges I face today, You have the answer to every need. I praise You for Your loving kindnesses, Your compassions and Your total faithfulness. Faithful God, today, I put everything into Your hands. Amen.