“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22,23
The prophet Jeremiah was a very sensitive individual, one who felt keenly the suffering of His people, but also, the travesty of not seeing the God of glory worshipped and adored. The contrast could not have been greater between the judgment that had fallen upon Israel because of her rejection of God, and the embracing of idols, and the Lord of Glory, gracious and good, faithful and true. The fall of Jerusalem by the hand of the Chaldeans, or Babylonians, was the outward display of Israel’s determination to forsake God, and go their own way. That which made the situation very acute, especially with regard to judgment, was the fact that Israel had been chosen of God to be a lampstand, or candlestick, which by the blessing of God and the moving of the Holy Spirit, would give light to the ends of the earth. That light was the knowledge of God. Israel’s greatest calling was first to know her Creator and Redeemer, being devoted to Him, but then, as a result of such communion, and the manifest presence of God in the midst, she was to be the instrument by and through which the true knowledge of the true and living God would be revealed to the world. Because of her turning away from God, embracing the gods of those nations which surrounded her, and gradually becoming as they were in theiir pride and arrogance, she forsook her heavenly, Divine calling. Judgment would come, but would that be the end? Is that the end of the story?
If it were not for the “compassions” of God, His mercies, and the fact that He remained faithful to fulfill His word, there would be no hope. It was because of Jeremiah’s recollection of God, and His mercy and grace, that he would write: “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.” (Lamentations 3:21) What was the cause and basis of his hope, that slight glimmer of the expectation of God’s intervention to save, deliver, and bless again? It was the RENEWED and UNFAILING compassions of God, and His mercies. What does this knowledge of God mean for the believer, especially the one who has been beaten down by circumstances, and trodden upon by the enemy of our souls, whose desire and will is to destroy all hope of help? This precious knowledge of God, and the power that He gives in accordance to it, is God’s way of restoring the soul to faith, reviving the spirit, renewing and refreshing the heart. The remembrance of God, this gracious Creator and Redeeemer, who had revealed Himself to Israel in the past, will be the very life-line of the believer who is discouraged by the “impossible” circumstances, and the opposition which seems to be so strong. A little hope is all that is needed to begin to seek Him, and to find Him. This is where His faithfulness comes into play, for He will hear the call of the heart, and He will answer. He turns away no one who sincerely seeks Him. For as the Lord Jesus said, “Seek and ye shall find…” (Matt. 7:7) He goes on to say, “…and I will be found of you.” (Jeremiah 29:14) But God’s promises, and the effect of them does not stop here. He declared to Israel, “…and I will turn away your captivity…I will bring you AGAIN into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.” (Jer. 29:14) God allows the seeking soul to seek Him, and to find Him, if He is sought with the whole heart.
Jeremiah remembered that God was NOT like men. In His holiness He reveals that His mercies, every thought and action of mercy towards the believer, are endless and never changing, most being unrecognized. His compassions are every act of kindness, in thought and deed, towards the believer. They do not, and cannot fail. They are NEW, accessible every morning.
Dear Father, Show forth Thy faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.