April 25th, 2024
22Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
The life of a Christian comes with many seasons of joys and sorrows. This kind of turbulent lifestyle has a way of affecting us emotionally, physically and even spiritually. At points, it can even drain us of our desire for the Lord on a daily basis. It can feel as though the sheer weight of the world's troubles are sitting upon our shoulders and we have no ability to escape. How are we to maintain communion with God in these trials? How do we fight for our own relationship with the Lord, Jesus Christ? Our passage offers a great reminder today.
One thing should be ultimately clear in our approach to these seasons. There is no promise in the scripture that we will embrace a trouble-free or perfect life. In fact, the Bible tells us that in this world we will face troubles and trials of many kinds (John 16:33; James 1:2). But, even where the Bible affirms a life of constant change and disorder, the greater promise is that the Lord never changes. Therefore, we have an unchanging promise rooted in an unchanging God amidst our ever-changing lives. When we don't feel the desires we should for the Lord it is almost always because we have made our circumstances so high and mighty that it seems like not even God can overcome them. Therefore, our problems have deceived us into believing the lie that somehow God has changed. This will never be true of the Lord no matter what degree of difficulty we face. Our passage today explains to us why in 3 unchanging truths about God.
1) The Lord's Great Love.
Repeat this truth to yourself until it settles in your soul: God's great love has never stopped flowing toward me. His magnificent love endures for generations and relentlessly pursues you. And, there is no tragedy or tribulation of this life that will ever be strong enough to sever or separate you from the love of God in Christ (Romans 8:38). It is because of this unchanging truth that we will never be consumed or destroyed beyond repair. You may not feel loved by the world but that will never mean God has stopped loving you.
2) His compassions never fail. They are new every morning.
Another way to read this verse is "His mercies never come to an end and they are new every morning". You have an unending supply of mercy stemming from the compassionate heart of God. This is why we should never dismiss the Lord just because life is seeming to drag us away from Him. Turn your gaze back toward His direction. Remind yourself that God's very own heart is eternally engaged with caring for you (1 Peter 5:7). It is so constant toward you that it is new every single morning. God will not even allow His own children to rely on yesterday's mercies. We are more than blessed in that we receive fresh spiritual strength from our Father every new day.
3) Great is His faithfulness.
The word "faithfulness" in this text has a beautiful meaning for our reflection today. It literally means "one whose hands are steady". There is a firmness and steadfast stability in the Lord. His temperament toward us never becomes shaken or bent out of line. His gracious hand upon us will never wander away or misdirect us in any shape or form. The Lord reigns on His throne and exists to provide an everlasting security to each son and daughter that calls upon His name. His faithfulness toward us will have nothing to do with our unfaithfulness to Him. And even when we lose desire for Him time and again, His heart's desire is still fellowship with us.
These simple yet unchanging truths of God are to be the anchors for souls amidst the storms of life. Never are we to disconnect from fellowship with the Lord because confusion and chaos arise. It is precisely at these moments that the goodness and mercy of the Lord shine all the more brighter against the unknown darkness that life brings. I pray you cling and rest in the faithfulness of your Lord and God today. Let your soul be reminded of hymn writer's words:
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my father
There is no shadow of turning in with Thee
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not
As thou hast been, Thou forever will be