Lamentations 2:20-3:66 In my yearly reading the Bible through, one of the books I breeze through quickly is Lamentations. This book is so negative, yet in the midst of the lamentations of Jeremiah are rich nuggets about God’s faithfulness. Listen to just a few verses: “It is the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lam. 3:22-26, KJV).
One of my favorite hymns is “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” I love the words to that great hymn that declares, “Morning by morning Your mercies are new.” “Lord, have mercy” is a common expression in the South. The truth is the Lord does have mercy, and His mercies are new every morning.
If you wake up complaining and murmuring and dreading the day, you have bolted the door of your heart to God’s great mercy. You can open the door by demonstrating a grateful, merciful heart. To obtain mercy, we must be merciful. I learned many years ago that when I choose to have a pity party, I have chosen counterfeit mercy. I want to pet myself and pamper myself and wallow in my discouragement. When I do this, I miss experiencing the real thing—God’s mercy. Have you ever noticed that none of your friends want to attend your pity parties? Pity parties are usually experienced when we are alone, but don’t fool yourself. There is an audience of demons watching and waiting for an open door to discourage you even more.
Let’s close the door today to counterfeit mercy and open the door wide to God’s mercy, which is new every morning. Pray this prayer with me:
Lord, forgive me for the many times I have felt sorry for myself. Help me never to have a pity party again because I want to experience Your new mercies every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.
READ: Lamentations 2:22-3:66; Hebrews 1:1-14; Psalm 102:1-28; Proverbs 26:21-22
