”Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
Lamentations 3:22New International Version (NIV)
Lamentations 3:22 Devotional
The Lord’s great love
Lamentations 3:22 captures Jeremiah’s proclamation of God’s faithfulness through His great love in the midst of his lament over the situation of Israel – at the time, Israel was exiled via capture in Babylon. And verses 19 and 20 of chapter 3 are a record of Jeremiah’s bitterness courtesy of the suffering and homelessness of the Israelites.
Hope that the future will be different
But in verses 21 to 24, Jeremiah proclaimed that he had hope that their future would be different. He switched from despair to hope. And Jeremiah was able to have hope because he believed that God’s mercies never end – after all, God and Israel were in a covenant relationship.
Therefore, the first thing that we can do when we are in a difficult situation, and we are suffering, is to have faith in God’s great love for us. Because in His great love, His mercies never run out.
This, therefore, means that even when God is angry at us (for sinning of course), He will deal with us with mercy. And even when He is disciplining or judging us, He is still compassionate towards us.
Consequently, when you lack faith in God and focus on His great love for you, you will lose hope in your season of suffering. But if you focus on God and His great love for you, you will overcome the hopelessness of times of suffering.
God’s great character
Additionally, according to Jeremiah, God’s great love is a key aspect of His equally great character. This is the character that He had earlier revealed to Moses (Exodus 34:6).
Therefore, when you forget who God is, then you set up yourself for hopelessness. But if you remember who God is, then you will not lose hope during the season of suffering.
God’s love is our sustenance
Consequently, in spite of the bitter circumstances that the Israelites were in, which occasioned their laments, God’s great love kept them from being destroyed. Therefore, their hope in His wonderful plan for them was kept alive. And this is the kind of faith and focus that we need to manifest in tough times.
Moreover, apostle Paul also shared this very sentiment when he wrote that “nothing can separate us from God’s love that’s in Jesus Christ” (Romans 8:31-39). This is why God’s “compassions never fail”, for they are “new every morning”.
So, you can take this moment to recognize God’s faithfulness in your life. Great is His faithfulness, which is just enough for every day. And His compassion (mercy) towards you and me is new or fresh every morning. Therefore, God’s love never fails, regardless of what we may have to endure!
God’s mercy is our sustenance
If God were not merciful, we would be consumed by the difficult challenges of life. And if He were not compassionate, every morning would be an opportunity for new disasters. And if God were not faithful, our souls would have no hope.
In fact, His mercy is what dealt a blow to the eternal death that came from sin. Thus Jesus died on the cross for you and me because of God’s mercy and faithfulness.
Therefore, according to Lamentations 3:22, the fact is: God’s love for us is never-ending. It is from everlasting to everlasting!
Prayer/Blessing
Thank You, God, for resolving to always deal with us in mercy, not anger. And this fact makes my heart glad and peaceful.
I pray that you will surrender to God’s love, which will keep you in this space and time. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading
Genesis 7-9 (see How to Read the Bible in One Year or How to Read the Bible (for Beginners))
