Mercies Renewed Every Morning
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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 3:22–23
The book of Lamentations has five poetic laments about the destruction of Jerusalem, the destroyed temple, and the wretched condition of Judah’s people. The author calls on people to turn to God, repent, and appeal for mercy. Lamentations 3:23 is within the only section of the book that offers a glimmer of hope in the midst of despair. This passage reminds us that his faithful love is constant in the face of trials and bitter thoughts. When we want to brood in anguish and sorrow, we’re told that we can put our hope in the Lord because his mercies never end.
Psalm 4:8 tells us that we can lie down and sleep with peace, even when worries spool round and round. Another psalmist writes that sorrow might last for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Morning is a theme that runs through the Scriptures. Jesus got up in the morning to pray. Zephaniah 3:5 tells us that the Lord doesn’t fail every new day. New days are new opportunities for us to walk by faith in the truth of God’s mercies. …
Every morning presents itself to us with fresh opportunities for an outpouring of God’s love, compassion, faithfulness, and steadfast loyalty. Even when we wake up to storm clouds roiling on the horizon, the sun still rises hidden behind them. We might miss the brilliance of the sunrise, but we know it’s there. God’s mercy is always available to us. Morning, noon, and night. And God gives us opportunities to trust him to move in our lives and pour his mercy on us.
Throughout the Old and New Testament, we can see that God’s mercy flows from his forgiving nature. He reveals his mercy in how he provided the manna for the Israelites’ desert journey. We see it in his protection and deliverance of his people time after time. He shows mercy when he is slow to anger and abounding in love. Mercy is not a benefit based on our merit but is a gift from God.
In the New Testament, Jesus made mercy an essential part of his ministry. He dined with tax collectors, healed the sick, relieved hunger, calmed storms, restored sight, and raised the dead. He is the full expression of God’s mercy to us. Mercy takes action. It is God’s response to us and our expected response to others. From God’s love flows his mercy, which is his ability to bring sinful humanity back to himself. Salvation is God’s merciful act of withholding eternal punishment, and it is his grace that grants forgiveness and eternal life. The Bible is God’s revelation of his merciful heart towards us.—Jessica Van Roekel1
Defining God’s mercy
In the New Testament the Greek word most commonly used for mercy, eleos, is defined as kindness or good will toward the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them; of God toward men: in general providence; the mercy and clemency of God in providing and offering to men salvation by Christ. This word expresses God’s divine mercy—His mercy in bringing salvation to humanity, as well as pity and compassion—being moved with compassion toward, or having compassion on, someone.
Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, mercy, compassion, and pity are often spoken about in situations where people are in distress, misery, or need (Matthew 9:36, 20:34).
The Bible teaches that God’s mercy is abundant and endures forever: “You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You” (Psalm 86:5). “Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, and Your truth unto the clouds” (Psalm 57:10).
The greatest example of God’s mercy toward humanity is the Incarnation. Jesus coming in human flesh to die for our sins, to take our rightful punishment upon Himself, is the fullest manifestation of God’s love and mercy. In His divine love and mercy, He chose to make this sacrifice in order to reconcile us with Himself.
God, in His love and mercy, has made a way that we, who are sinners, can be redeemed. His holiness and righteousness, along with His grace and mercy—all part of God’s nature and character, part of His very being—work together in His divine love to do what is impossible for man to do: to atone for our sins, to take away the separation from God which sin brings, so that we can live eternally with Him (Ephesians 2:1–8).
Not wanting any to perish, God provided the means of salvation through Jesus, so that through faith in Him we are delivered from death, from punishment for our sin, from separation from God. This is the precious gift of our patient, gracious, and merciful God.—Peter Amsterdam
No expiration date
The dawning of every new day could be seen as a symbol of God’s light breaking through the darkness and His mercy overcoming our troubles. Every morning demonstrates God’s grace, a new beginning in which gloom must flee. We need look no further than the breath in our lungs, the sun that shines upon us, or the rain that falls to nourish the soil. The mercies of God continue to come to us via a multitude of manifestations.
There is no expiration date on God’s mercy toward us. His mercies are new every morning in that they are perpetual and always available to those in need. We have our ups and downs, and “even youths grow tired and weary” (Isaiah 40:30), but God is faithful through it all. With the dawn of each day comes a new batch of compassion made freshly available to us. God’s compassion is poured out from an infinite store; His mercies will never run out. …
In Jesus Christ we have the fullest expression of God’s mercy and compassion (see Matthew 14:14), and He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus’ mercy is indeed “new every morning.”—Gotquestions.org2
Refresh every morning
Mornings symbolize freshness, new beginnings, and hope. Just as each new morning brings a newness of day, and fresh light that drives out the darkness of night, we can refresh our souls in the same way. With every dawn, we can look for the light of God’s Word to break through the darkness in our lives and feed hope into our souls.
Each and every day we can feed on the great love, mercy, and faithfulness of God. We can do this with Scripture.
“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. ... Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground” (Psalm 143:8–10).
“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:8–14). …
The Bible tells us in Hebrews 2:17 that Jesus is our great and merciful high priest. It is through him that we access the mercy of God to receive forgiveness as well as all his other blessings.
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:4–9).
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Every morning we can access new mercies because it is written: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).—Danielle Bernock3
Published on Anchor February 2024. Read by Jerry Paladino. Music by John Listen.
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