New Every Morning

Growing up I had the joy of being exposed to various threads within the church in America. Within those contexts I was exposed to many traditional hymns as well as modern praise and worship songs. As I evaluated all these songs, I found that some were better than others in their theology and their God-centeredness. One song that confused my analytical brain was “As We Gather” from Maranatha Music. The chorus came from the straight from Bible:

“. . .As the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases
His mercies never come to an end
They are new every morning, new every morning
Great is Thy faithfulness O Lord
Great is Thy faithfulness O Lord
Great is Thy faithfulness.”

What confused my teenaged brain was not so much the words as it was the melody. It was sweet, even a bit jaunty. But the context in the Bible from which these words came was that of wringing hands and a tortured soul. This comes from the middle section of the chiasm we know as Lamentations. It is not uttered amid comfort and rest; it is declared in the midst of grave circumstances with no relief in sight. The poet is choosing, by the power of God, to cling to the hope that is found in the promises of God. I felt these words were deserving of music containing a bit more gravitas.

When I was serving in Sudan (now South Sudan), my previous reflections on passages such as the whole of Lamentations 3 came to have even greater meaning for me. When things were hard, either for myself or for those around me—often both—the Holy Spirit used Lamentations 3, Habakkuk 3:17-19, and many Psalms to comfort my soul. They say misery loves company, but I would argue that even better company is those who are miserable but together clinging steadfastly to hope. The psalmists and prophets were frequently that kind of company for me.

The life of a missionary is labor, hardship, and toil—mixed with rejoicing, gratitude, and deep satisfaction. But often our harvest-field laborers are clinging to the promises of God as they face rejection, sickness, unmet expectations, and a continuous onslaught of spiritual attacks. It is a comfort to know that prophets, kings, and fellow laborers who came before them have experienced similar struggles. Meditating on and memorizing these inspired words, and others like them, can feel like a lifeline as they lie in bed, shrouded in the dark of night, reciting the Word of God to defend themselves from the flaming darts of the evil one. Then when the heat of the day comes, along with the pressures of the day’s circumstances, singing Psalm 33, 42, or 73 (to name a few) brings the heart back, reminds them that Christ is interceding even in the hard providences in front of them.

And my encouragement for you is that you would use these passages as a help to guide your prayers for those who are serving abroad. Pray that they will have the strength to say, “yet I will rejoice in the LORD,” (Habakkuk 3:18a, emphasis is mine) in hard times. Ask the Holy Spirit to comfort them with the Word that he has planted in their hearts. Intercede for them that they would remain steadfast and hopeful in those dark days and nights. Pray that the Psalms they have memorized would play in their hearts and minds when they are in despair. Ask God to remind them that his mercies are new every morning.

My soul is bereft of peace;
I have forgotten what happiness is;
so I say, “My endurance has perished;
so has my hope from the LORD.”
Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
the wormwood and the gall!
My soul continually remembers it
and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
And therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”

(Lamentations 3:17-24)