Devotional Bible Study: New Mercies Every Morning | Lamentations 3:21-25.
Updated: Jul 20, 2021
Welcome to Day 26. for one of our short powerful devotions from the 31 Bible Verses About Practicing The Presence Of God. This short devotional is based on Lamentations 3:21-25.
Read Lamentations 3:21-25.
"This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him."
The mercies of God are new every morning! I love to savor that thought every day.
Can you read the Lamentations 3:21-25 without singing it?
I will tell you the story of God's faithfulness behind the 'Great is thy faithfulness' hymn in a minute but first join me in digging up the scripture treasure that is found in understanding who wrote these verses and setting the context for them. It will give you a deeper comprehension of God's faithfulness to you.
What does it mean "His mercies are new every morning?"
It is thought that Jeremiah the Prophet is the author of the book in the Bible called Lamentations.
Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet. He had much to weep about!
We read that Jeremiah is deeply depressed and full of sorrow in the first twenty verses of Lamentations 3.
He is in such despair that he cannot hear the Lord's voice.
The book of Lamentations describes great anguish—and great hope—in poetic form. The main theme of the book is God’s judgment on Judah’s sin as well as His compassion for His people. Lamentations contain “laments” or “loud cries” for Jerusalem and many expressions of anguish and pain, but in chapter 3, right in the middle of the book, there is a beautiful passage of confidence and hope.
Jeremiah had witnessed the sacking of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians, the destruction of Jerusalem by fire, and the slaughter and enslavement of the people of Israel. Jeremiah had also been persecuted by his own fellow Israelites. They did not desire to hear the messages of God that Jeremiah sought to tell them. We can see why Jeremiah was depressed. But then he remembered God's faithfulness to him in the past.
We can learn an awesome lesson from Jeremiah. Jeremiah had surrendered to God all his life. He was faithful in following all God's commands but in the first 20 verses of Lamentations chapter 3, we read of his deep distress but then suddenly it all changes!
The mercies of God are new every morning
Jeremiah suddenly changes his attitude. In Lamentations 3:21- 23, Jeremiah does a remarkable thing that we can do too. He recalled to his mind all that God had done for him in the past. He remembered God's faithfulness to him. God had given many promises to Israel despite their unfaithfulness and Jeremiah reminded himself that God keeps His promises.
Jeremiah realized that God's mercies are new every morning and He is full of mercy and grace and compassion.
Thomas Chisholm
Another man in more modern times had suffered a similar depression that Jeremiah had, although the circumstances were very different. Thomas Chisholm shares his story through a most beloved hymn that we all enjoy singing and that hymn is called 'Great is thy faithfulness.'
"Thomas Chisholm was born in a simple log cabin in Franklin, Kentucky, in 1866. Lacking a high school education or any college training, he became a school teacher at the age of 16 and later entered the newspaper business.
The following years found him ordained a pastor, but poor health forced him to leave the ministry. After a time of recuperation, he moved to New Jersey to work as an insurance agent. A prolific writer of poetry, he sent a collection of his poems in 1923 to his good friend William Runyan, a musician associated with Chicago's Moody Bible Institute, who also worked for a hymnal publishing company." Excerpt from Lifeway.
William Runyan published the hymn that same year.
It is such a great hymn based on Lamentations 3:23. God's mercies are new every morning!
Join me below for a 'new mercies every morning' short devotional and prayer.
Short Devotional: New Mercies Every Morning
Jeremiah was able to get out of the pit of depression by practicing a spiritual discipline. He recalled to his mind the truths that he knew about God. He knew his bible well. He only had the Torah (our Old Testament) but He knew the promises of God and as soon as he recalled them to his mind and meditated on them, his depression lifted.
Let's examine the 6 statements that Jeremiah made in Lamentations 3:21-25.
1. God's love and mercy never ends.
We may not always long or seek for His presence but the truth is that God is love and He yearns for you to seek His presence and to rest in it. It doesn't matter how great a sin you have committed. Once you repent and have a true change of heart, God extends His mercy to you, and you are welcomed into His holy presence. You will find bible verses about God's unconditional love HERE
2. God's mercies are new every morning. His compassion never fails. His compassion for you and me never becomes weak or weary! His banner is over you. Do you know the name of God, Yahweh Nissi? With God as your banner, you will remember that God is powerful enough to overcome