Have you ever thought about the blessing it is that God gives us new mornings? Now, I am really not a morning person. I like to stay up late, so when my alarm goes off it’s usually greeted with grunting and a very angry hitting of my snooze button. But think about it. God could have created us to just be awake all the time, but instead, we go to sleep at night and wake up to tackle a new day. Why would I call this a blessing?
Recently I was having a conversation with a friend, and she told me about how she had had a really hard day. No matter what she did to try and shake it, she just couldn’t. Our conclusion after talking through it? It was time to get some sleep and have a fresh start in the morning. No matter what type of day you’re having, God gives us a built-in reset each night.
The book of Lamentations takes place in a time of great grief for the Israelites. They had turned their backs on God and were receiving great judgment at the hands of the nation of Babylon. In chapter 3, the author writes of his own personal anguish during this horrific time. This wasn’t just one bad day. This was a series of bad days. What does the author do? He cries out to God.
Lament means a “passionate expression of grief or sorrow.” The author does not hold back in telling God how he feels and what the nation of Israel is going through. He knows that only God can take away his sorrow. He cries out in great detail, yet he pauses and…He trusts God’s mercies each morning. He writes, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
Most of us will never experience the type of pain the nation of Judah did during this time, but we do experience painful, difficult days. Sometimes we experience hard days because we’ve messed up and need to ask for forgiveness. But lots of times we experience them because they’re just…hard! But regardless of the circumstances, we, like the author of Lamentations, can be honest with God about it and then wake up each morning and boldly trust that God’s love never stops, his mercy never ends, and that he is faithful.
And you know what friend? We have hope! God never gives up on his people. So go to sleep tonight and embrace the reset that God provides. His mercies will greet you in the morning—no matter what tomorrow brings.
