Lamentations 3:21-23
But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
.
To see the full significance of the verses above, we must be sure to keep them in their context. Jeremiah is writing his laments, his sorrowful weepings and outcries over the destruction of Jerusalem. The people of God in Jerusalem had sinned against God so much that they drew his wrath. God Finally allowed the army of the Babylonians to come into Jerusalem and destroy that sacred city along with the temple. And many of the people of God were killed or carried off to Babylon.
In the middle of this dark moment, when you might think that Jeremiah had lost all hope in God, we read the above three verses. They shine as a beacon against the darkest backdrop. Just as a candle appears brighter when the room is darker, so here Jeremiah’s words of hope shine even more brightly when we see how dark were his times.
Jeremiah remembers that God’s steadfast love never ceases. His mercies never end. Even when the city is being ransacked around him and the temple of God is being razed, Jeremiah remembers that God’s steadfast love, his covenant-making and promise-keeping love, never ceases. God does not fully turn away from his own. He always has even more mercy available for us as long as we live on this earth. God renews his mercies from day to day. God is fully faithful, always true to his promises. Jeremiah remembers all these truths, and he finds hope in the darkest of moments.
Today, you might be in a dark time. You might be doing wonderfully well. In either place, remember that God’s mercies are new for this day. God, right now, is being freshly merciful to you. He is giving you life and breath, and such things are gifts that none of us deserve. He is withholding from you and me the judgment that we deserve. In both ways, he is merciful. His steadfast love toward you does not cease. He is fully faithful to keep all of his promises, even when life does not seem like that is possible. God’s love and mercy endures forever.
Now, let’s remember that God’s love and mercy endure for those who are his. For those who have turned away from God, rejecting his offer of grace in Jesus Christ, they have a limited time to receive God’s mercies. God is holding out for all people the opportunity to receive mercy in Jesus. For those who reject Christ to the bitter end of their lives and who die without him, there is no longer mercy from God for them. They find God’s judgment, his full measure of justice poured out upon them in an eternity of hell. So, if you do not know Jesus and you are reading this, do not apply the everlasting mercy of God to yourself just yet. Instead, you need to realize, if you do not know Jesus, that God is merciful to you today in that he is allowing you to live and is giving you the chance, right now, to come to Jesus, confess your sin, place your trust in Christ’s sacrifice, and receive forgiveness in Christ. God offers you the everlasting kind of mercy, but you have to willingly receive it. You must have God change your heart and help you to place your faith in Jesus. Then, and only then, will you have the everlasting and never ending mercy of God as your hope.
Dear Lord, I thank you for these words of Jeremiah. I thank you that they come in the middle of the darkest of times. That shows me that your love and mercy are still right there, even when my world feels like it is falling to pieces. Thank you that your faithfulness is great. Thank you that your mercy is never-ending. Thank you that your loving kindness lasts forever. Thank you that you give me hope. My hope is you. Whatever the trial, whatever the struggle, I know that you will be there and your mercies will be there.
Pastor Travis Peterson 