Lately, I’ve been listening to a song called “Every Morning” by the band Lost & Found. It’s about how God’s mercies are new every morning, and the chorus is based off Lamentations 3:22 – 23:
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.”
This is a very well known verse in the church that inspired numerous hymns and worship music. However, the context of this verse is quite dark.
The book of Lamentations is traditionally believed to be written by the prophet Jeremiah. In Lamentations, the author is grieving over Israel, who has been defeated and exiled to foreign lands. The author describes the terrible conditions during the siege of Jerusalem, detailing, among other things, how the people had turned to cannibalism to survive, painting a very grim picture of life at that time and lamenting on the loss of the city and its people. Lamentations 3 follows this mood, beginning with
“I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath”
and in the middle, says
“My eyes flow and do not cease,
Without interruption,
50 Till the Lord from heaven
Looks down and sees.
51 My eyes bring suffering to my soul
Because of all the daughters of my city.”
– Lamentations 3:1, 49-51 NKJV
This is not a happy-go-lucky passage. This is a long and sad chapter, where the author is mourning the misfortune of the city, pleading the Lord for vengeance, and feeling very alone. The author even says that
3 Surely He [God] has turned His hand against me
Time and time again throughout the day.
8 Even when I cry and shout,
He shuts out my prayer.
9 He has blocked my ways with hewn stone;
He has made my paths crooked.
– Lamentations 3:3, 8-9 NKJV
In spite of of all this, in the middle of this tale of woe and sorrow, the author writes:
21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.
22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!”
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.
– Lamentations 3:21-26NKJV
To me, this is such a jarring tone change from the rest of the chapter. This person, even in the midst of such desolation and grief, still chooses to praise God and put their hope in Him.
I’ve been dealing with a lot lately, and this passage and song has been a much needed reminder that God and His mercy are still here for me even when things seem very bleak and hopeless. In the midst of great challenge, I’ve seen that His mercies are indeed new every morning, and I’m so thankful for that.
Have a listen to Every Morning!