Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” (Lamentations 3:22-24)

It’s A New Morning

Jeremiah was the last great prophet during the final four decades of the kingdom of Judah. He is remembered as the weeping prophet because Jerusalem was doomed and while a respite of some twenty years came in the reign of Josiah, there was no hope for the people of God. Captivity was inevitable and coming very soon. If Jeremiah is the author of the Lamentations, he inscribes upon holy writ the mournful cry of a city lost and hope destroyed as the people witnessed the burning and destruction of the House of God. Divine judgment was meted out upon a rebellious people in the form of the Babylonian Empire. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and razed the Temple to the ground. Zion was filled with sorrow at the devastation. Seventy years would pass before the people of God would return to the broken city. A remnant would be the divine hope and relief of God’s mercy. In the midst of tragedy, the glimmer of hope flickered in the heart of Jeremiah.

The northern ten tribes of Israel were destroyed. Assimilated into the Assyrian culture, the remnants of the Jews would become the Samaritans of Jesus’ day. Only the two remaining tribes of Judah and Benjamin would preserve the seed of the Messiah. In the face of God’s wrath, the nation of Israel would not be consumed. The faithful love of God would not allow His people to be destroyed. Because of His mercy, the Lord kept a remnant to show His great love and grace to an undeserving people. The mercy of God is never-ending. His faithfulness is great. The joy of God’s grace is to know that His mercies begin afresh each morning. His anger is not forever nor His wrath without mercy. Jerusalem would be laid waste but God had not forgotten His love for His people.

Every day brings its own set of challenges. There are days of joy and prosperity. Often these times are interrupted by the realities of problems, disappointments, discouragement, and defeat. The city of Jerusalem had many days of happiness before the horrific times of destruction. Not all the people of Israel were wicked and disobedient. Caught up in the captivity were men like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and Ezekiel. These were faithful servants of the Most High God who suffered along with the rest because of the sins of the nation. They did not lose their faith. Jeremiah lived through the destruction of Jerusalem and was treated cruelly by his brethren but he never lost hope in God. The message of the Lamentations was that no matter how dark the day and troubled the night, God will not forsake nor leave His people without hope. There was joy in the awakening of each morning because a new day dawned with new hope. It may not change the reality that the Babylonian army was burning the city and defiling the Temple. The judgment of God came as told by Jeremiah. What made a difference in the lives of the faithful people of the Lord was to know that each morning brought a new blessing filled with hope.

The world can be a very dark place with uncertainty, misery, despair, and tragedy. It should not come as a surprise to the people of God who know that life can be difficult. What makes a difference in the heart of those who love the Lord and trust in Him is to know that with each new morning there is a new hope and a new promise. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, there is an inheritance that gives hope and love in the promises of the Father. Trials cannot take this away. This world is not the dwelling place of the faithful who look for a city without foundation whose builder and maker is God. Each new morning is a reminder that God still rules and there is something to hope for. Good morning – today is going to be a great day!