God's Mercies Are New Everyday

Lamentations 3:22 - 24 (ESV)
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; (23) they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (24)  “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

We all have bad days, let's be honest with each other.  The reasons for having a bad day are innumerable, from having a taxi pull out in front of you in traffic on your way to work, to the passing away of a friend.  No matter the extreme, both can cause negative emotions leaving us feeling sad and down, sometimes even depressed.  Most of us would have experienced a spiral of emotions where one bad incident can spiral into a mini depression lasting even into the next day and sometimes even week.

But the writer of this verse identified 2 things that could counteract such a spiral of negative emotions.  1)  A new dawn means a fresh start.
2)  Appreciating God's mercy.
When you combine the 2 together, you have the perfect recipe for snapping out of an emotional breakdown of any kind.

Firstly, the simple act of sleeping and waking up a few hours later is like a filter for the brain.  All the bad stuff that was said and done the day before is often filtered out of our consciousness and we wake up with a clear mind.  Add to this the fact that a rising sun inspires most people to face a new day with passion, and already you have a great opportunity to forget the past.

Secondly, we need to realise that each new day provides a new opportunity for God to show His Mercy, Faithfulness, Love and Goodness.  Considering these aspects inspires the writer to worship (look at verse 24).  When we appreciate the small things each and every day, it will inspire worship within our hearts.  Worship helps us to be mindful of God, and being mindful of God gives one Supernatural Joy and Peace.  It is a perfect cycle.

So my friend, the next time you have a bad day, don't let your anger or emotion affect those around you (Eph. 4:26), but then get to bed and allow God's natural design of sleep clear your mind.  Wake up to the fresh smelling brew of a cup of tea or coffee, thankful that you have such a sensitive smell; look at the sun breaking through the clouds as it rises for another day, thankful that you can see it's beauty and feel it's warmth; and face the day knowing that God is good, and He has good things in store for you today.  Because He has, you just need to find them and take them.

The Lord truly is our portion, and our hope is in Him, because He is Good!

Look To The Source of Radiance

Psalm 34:5
Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

You can tell a lot about people by the expressions on their faces.  You can tell if they are going through a tough time, having a bad day, having a good day or just generally happy.  God set it up that way.  Our faces tell so much about how we are feeling.

Now God has also set up a way for you to always release His Presence no matter what your circumstances are.  You see, most people's emotions are based on their circumstances.  The immediate situation they are in affects their moods, and thus the very expressions on their faces.

God wants you to remain at peace no matter what you are going through.  This can be very difficult, I know.  But learning to control our emotions as Christians is key to impacting the world around us.  Now, when I say control our emotions, I am not talking with our own willpower.  I am talking about handing your circumstances over to Jesus, and drawing your peace from Him.

And this is exactly what this verse is saying.  When we look to God, who is so Good, Beautiful, Glorious and full of Love for us, something in us begins to change.  And this change even affects our expression.  When we look to Him, our faces begin to radiate.  And this is more than just a big smile, the Glory of God radiates from our faces.  Our happy faces carry more than a smile, they carry their very Glory of God!

I want to encourage you today friends...  No matter what you are going through, no matter what you face, look up to your Saviour.  Lift your head and look to your Father.  Worship Him.  See His Glory.  Ask Him to show you His Glory.  Whenever you get the chance.  And when you do, your face will begin to radiate with His Glory.  People will see with their own eyes the difference about you.  And they will want it.

Sorrow Is Temporary, Joy Is Eternal

Psalm 30:4 - 5
Sing to the Lord, you saints of His;
praise His Holy Name.
For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favour lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Many of us know this verse, especially the last part.  But it is a pity that "familiarity breeds contempt".  We become so accustomed to a saying or verse, that it can lose its power.  As Christians, we need to be so careful of this unfortunate reality.  Take John 3:16 for example, it is one of the most powerful verses in all of Scripture, yet because we know it so well, the power in its truth seems to have less of an impact on us.  We need fresh revelation to regain the power in these verses.  I believe this is what the Grace Revolution is all about.  But that's for another day and another article.

The point is, don't let the power of this verse here be watered down by familiarity.  It is a powerful truth!  Let's have a look at it...

God's anger only lasts for a moment, but His Favour lasts for a lifetime!  Isn't that stunning?  Now, put this into the context of God's plan, and we see that this is a clear picture of the Cross.  God's anger is not as infinite and eternal as His Love, Grace or Favour.  God is by very Nature Loving, Good and Kind.

Now, that is not to water down the danger or severity of sin.  But we need to recognise that God's anger and punishment was dealt with because He Himself absorbed all sin and death into the body of His own Son Jesus.  (In fact, He absorbed it Himself because He was in Christ at the time of the Crucifixion! 2 Cor. 5:19)   Friends, God's anger toward sin has been appeased!  He took it upon Himself and dealt with it!  Now what remains are eternal days of Favour!

But you may not be living in days of Favour.  Well, this is why the next verse is so important; "sorrow lasts for a night, but joy comes in the morning."  Friends, sorrow is temporal!  We must understand that we will go through trials in this life.  It won't be easy.  There will be times when life is tough.  But the good news is that there will be breakthrough!  Joy will come!  No matter what we are facing, we can be confident that eternal days of Joy and Favour will come to us!  Whether it is in this life or the next, either way, we will enjoy eternal days of Joy!  This is what Heaven is all about; JOY!

Friends, with such a hope, it is so much easier to face this life.  No matter what we are going through we can face it with an expectant hope that God promises us days of Favour and Joy.  This brings such hope to any situation.

I know that many of us face trials over this Christmas holiday period.  But be encouraged that God cares for you more than you know.  And He wants you to know that any stress or difficulty you may be facing is only temporal, and there is a joy that you can even tap into right now that lasts for eternity!