New Every Morning
It seems that nighttime is the most difficult time for most people who are lonely, depressed, fearful, or needy. One of the reasons nighttime is so difficult is that we so desire resolution. We want our needs to be met, the relationship to be restored, or the hurt to go away.
In Lamentations 3, God tells us that His compassion is new every morning. In the Hebrew language, the word compassion means soft, gentle, a mother’s womb. What a beautiful interpretation! Each morning when we awake, we can experience God’s compassion.
The text goes on to say: Great is His faithfulness. It continues with: The LORD is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him. The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him (Lamentations 3:24-25).
Note the twofold parts to the resolution: waiting and seeking. In our flesh we want resolution and we want it now! We think we can’t make it through another day, or another night. We attempt resolution through so many means but each attempt just leaves us more empty, depressed, and lonely than before.
But despite the despair and struggle, there’s hope. You just need to hold on until morning, because in the morning you will experience the promise of your Father’s compassion that will restore and renew your hope. But there is a catch—you must wait till morning and you must be diligent to seek him.
My mentor Charlie once shared that when he experienced anguish of heart and couldn’t fall asleep easily, he would listen to soft, worshipful music and read the Word until God would soothe his soul to sleep. If you’d like to experience God’s great faithfulness and compassions in the morning, I would encourage you to turn the pages of your Bible to Lamentations chapter 3 and then read Psalms 16, 34, 37, 46, 119, and 150.
Often we get so caught up in the swirling thoughts of our lives and minds that we forget to pause and reflect on the Lord’s faithfulness. That is the key. For when we seek the Lord and wait on Him, His faithfulness will begin to come into full view. The Bible is not only a story of God’s great love for us, but also a living testimony of the Lord’s faithfulness to us. We can both lie down and sleep for the Lord makes us dwell in safety (Psalm 4:8). He promises never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), He bids us who are weary and heavy-laden to come and He will give us rest (Matthew 11:28). He personally lifts our eyes to Him with His words of comfort: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. ~John 14:27
So wherever we are right now with our jobs, our marriage, our children, our family circumstances, our health…remember the Lord’s faithfulness. As the psalmist writes: I have been young and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken (Psalm 37:25)
