New Morning Mercies

Are you feeling discouraged over the turmoil and mixed messages we are receving regarding this Covid-19 virus and all the restrictions? We here in Michigan still have a few more weeks for our stay at home order. Now that the weather is nicer, it is harder for people to stay home, plus they have been staying home for seven weeks now. I don’t think staying at home is the worst thing for some people. For some people, the worst thing is the question of their job. Will there be a job for them to have once this is all finished. Will their unemployment run out before they go back to work? There are so many variables that some do not have the answers for.

As I was laying down for my Sunday afternoon nap, I was thanking the Lord for who He is. He is compassionate, loving, and full of grace. Then I thanked Him for His mercies “that are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3: 22, 23).  As I was drifting off to sleep, I thought “why is it that the only attribute of God that says that it is new every morning is His mercy?”

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.” (Lamentations 3:22).

“…according to the riches of His grace. Which He lavished on us…” (Ephesians 1: 8, 9)

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you…” (II Peter 3:9).

God’s love, His grace, and His patience are steadfast. They do not change, but God’s mercy is new every morning.

God’s mercy is new every morning not because of who God is, but because of who we are.

If we ponder for a minute the definition of mercy-God NOT giving us what we deserve-we realize that God’s mercy being new every morning has more to do with us.

It is not that yesterday’s mercies were bad or inadequate, rather it is that yesterday’s mercies were for yesterday’s troubles. Today’s mercies are for today’s troubles.

We have a tendency to look at the “what if’s” of tomorrow and try to solve those problems today. Those are tomorrow’s troubles not todays and you do not have the mercy that you need for the troubles of tomorrow.

Does that mean that we should not plan? Does that mean we should not prepare for what will come tomorrow? Absolutely not. We should plan for tomorrow and prepare for tomorrow. The farmer must prepare in the spring to harvest his crop in the fall, but he cannot bring the “what ifs” of tomorrow into today. He must plant his crop in the spring. He cannot be worried about if there will be enough rain or too much rain. That is tomorrow’s trouble and that trouble will have a fresh dose of mercy for that day.

What are you worried about? Whether you will get back to work before your unemployment runs out? Whether you will get sick with Covid-19? Whether this home restriction will ever end?

Those are tomorrow’s troubles and we should let the mercy that God will give us tomorrow take care of the trouble that will come tomorrow.

“Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life what you will eat or what you will drink nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and body more than clothing? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:25, 27).

If you think about tomorrow, will worrying put food on your table? Will being anxious fix that troubled relationship? Will worrying cause you to have clothes to wear? Will being anxious add one hour to the end of your life?

God’s mercies are new every morning. If you get down to your last meal in the refrigerator, God will give you the mercy for that day when it comes. Why worry about it today? If your unemployment runs out, God will give you the mercy in that day that you need for that struggle.

Remember:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations3:22, 23)