Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. 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. Lamentations 3:19-23 ESV
Whatever you’re going through today, remember this: God’s steadfast love never ceases! In other words, an ample supply of mercy is available to you from a God who loves you enough to never give up on you! No matter what you’ve done, no matter how many times you’ve fallen, you have not exhausted the mercy of God!
Why are His mercies new EVERY MORNING? Because God knows we fall short every day. Just like God gave the children of Israel fresh manna every morning, He keeps giving us the mercy we need. If God only had a limited supply of love and mercy, I would have used up my allotted portion years ago. If you’re trapped in a continual pattern of sin and just can’t seem to break free remember His mercies never come to an end! It’s not too late. His love for you will never cease!
Jeremiah continually remembered the difficult times and as a result, his soul was humbled before God. He was well aware of the hard times he had endured, and conscious of his own inability to handle them. If we are honest with ourselves, we know that none of us are able to handle the intense pain that we experience in life from time to time. The challenge is to trust God to completely bring us through the pain and resist the temptation to relieve it in other ways.
How often did Jesus say we must take up our cross and follow Him? Daily!
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23 NIV
If you are struggling with sin, here’s what I suggest: Take it one day at a time. If you want to be His disciple, you’re going to have to deny yourself. There’s no getting around that. You have to decide what you want more, to follow Him or to relieve the pain. Determine that you’re going to obey Him today! You can wait to think about tomorrow. Pray for His help and trust in His faithfulness. He’s not given up on you so no matter how often you fall short, keep pressing in and stay the course.