“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)
When I started writing devotions, the publisher of the first newspaper in which they appeared warned me. “You’ll find it difficult writing a weekly column; coming up with fresh ideas. The grind can get you.”
He was right; and I made it even more difficult in the early years of my ministry by holding on the notion that I needed to write a new devotion every week. I remember when a neighbor of mine encouraged me to write my devotions ahead of time and “store them up for the dry periods,” as he put it. I refused to follow his advice. Somehow, it seemed to defeat the goal of having a devotion that’s written for the day. I wanted my devotions to be fresh, like vegetables in the supermarket. The truths I’m promoting might go down easier if I addressed issues that we confront every day.
My website email has reminded me, however, that the biblical principles I communicate through my devotions are always fresh. I constantly hear from readers who go into my archive of devotions and write to me how much particular ones mean to them.
Experience has taught me that both of these individuals were right. Writing a weekly devotion can become a “grind”; and yes, there are even “dry times,” which is why I reuse a previous devotion every now and then. On occasion, I may find it difficult to come up with something to say, but God always has a word of knowledge that I can use, again and again.
When I do reuse a devotion, God will often lead me to re-write it often by using different illustrations or different bible verses. The principles are as fresh as ever, but God’s leading suggest that the examples that worked years ago need to be changed for today’s reader to understand and apply the biblical truths I’m promoting.
The application of God’s mercy in our lives works the very same way as the biblical truths about which I write. Circumstances change but his love and compassion for us never change. They are renewed every day and will never fail us.
One of my favorite hymns is Great is Thy Faithfulness. Its words speak repeatedly to God’s unfailing love and concern for us. I particularly love the chorus because they reveal a discovery the writer has made:
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Thomas Chisholm didn’t have an earth shattering experience that prompted him to write Great is Thy Faithfulness. He wrote it to remind us that God’s truths are timeless. Even though life’s circumstances look insurmountable, we can get up everyday and know that his love for us is just as deep as it was the day we first turned to him to save us. Indeed, his mercy for us is new every morning!
Chisholm said experience taught him this truth, but he also realized that Bible reading played an even more important role. Interesting, isn’t it. One of life’s greatest weapons sits somewhere in our homes and we refuse to use it everyday to remind us that God is with us – through it all.
If you’re feeling alone and helpless this morning, remember that God is still faithful. His word reveals this truth again and again. Open his book today and allow it to minister to what’s going on in your life. As Jeremiah proclaimed, “Through the Lord’s mercies, we are not consumed because his compassions fail not.” (Lamentations 3:22)
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