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His Mercies Are NEW Every Morning
(and here’s how
to see them)
Mark Altrogge
Every single day, without fail, God has new mercies to pour out
on you.
Think about that for a second.
His mercies are new every morning. It’s not like God
has a limited store of grace and mercy to give you, and each day you
deplete that store a bit more.
God doesn’t give you recycled mercies. He’s not like a
parent at the dinner table, saying, “You can’t have any new mercies until
you finish the old ones!”
As Lamentations 3:22-23 says:
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases his mercies
never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
What Does It Mean That His Mercies Are New Every Morning?
So what does it mean that his mercies are new every morning?
It means that God’s mercies are new, fresh, and abundant each day.
He has good things to give you today that weren’t available yesterday.
Blessings that are custom tailored to what you will experience and
struggle with today.
Because the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, the mercies
of the Lord never run out.
Every morning, you awake to new mercies that will give you
everything you need for that day.
Think about that for a second.
There are plenty of struggles and trials and challenges that
await you today.
Some of these challenges may be small, like a flat tire. Or you
could encounter life-altering trials, like a cancer diagnosis.
In either case, His mercies are new every morning.
God has mercies specifically designed to help you through both
the flat tire and the cancer diagnosis.
He doesn’t give you generic mercies that will just generally
cover everything. He has specific new mercies designed uniquely for each trial
you encounter.
In his book New Morning Mercies, Paul Tripp says:
Don’t fear your weaknesses — God supplies all the strength
you need. Be afraid of those moments when you think you’re independently
strong.
Because his mercies are new every morning, you can go through
the day without fear.
You can confidently pray to God, knowing that he
is eager to give you the sufficient grace that will sustain you.
You can be assured that, because God has ALL your days in his
hands, he has new mercies for THIS day.
“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.” Lamentations 3:21-23
Having Eyes For His Mercies That Are New Every Morning
It’s God’s mercy you woke up today.
God’s mercy you have a sound mind. His mercy if you woke up
without being in serious pain. God’s mercy if you can breathe.
And God’s mercy if you have the strength to get out of bed by
yourself.
It’s his mercy if you have eyes to see the sunshine, ears to
hear the robins and taste buds to enjoy your coffee.
It’s God’s mercy this morning if you know Jesus Christ, the
living God. God’s mercy you have his Word. There are multitudes who don’t.
It’s God’s mercy you didn’t wake up in a prison camp this
morning because of your faith in Jesus. Thousands of believers in North Korea
did.
Do you have God’s joy today? Any hope in your heart? If so,
these are wonderful mercies from God.
The eggs and toast on your table are fresh mercies from God. And
the children around the table screaming and spilling their Cheerios and milk?
Mercies!
Do you have running water? A hot shower? Indoor plumbing? A job?
A car? Money for gas? Are you able to drive? Mercies!
Even in affliction, there are mercies if we look for them.
There are respites from pain. Sleep. Distractions. Loving family
members and friends.
And in God’s mercy, our afflictions aren’t meaningless – he
causes all of them to work for our good.
Again, to quote Paul Tripp:
Your hope for today is based not on karma or luck or any
odds. Your hope for today is that God’s mercies are new every morning. As John
Piper wrote on the eve of having prostate surgery to remove cancer:
“The world gets comfort from their odds. Not Christians.
Some count their chariots (percentages of survival) and some count their horses
(side effects of treatment), ‘but we trust in the name of the Lord our God’” (Psalm 20:7).
Or, as Psalm 23:6 puts it, “Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.”
His Mercies Are New Every Morning, But Do We Notice Them?
A good exercise is to write down God’s mercies.
Some folks write down something they’re thankful for every day.
Before you start asking God for things, consider thanking him.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.
When we notice God’s mercies we become joyful and thankful.
When we become joyful and thankful we bring God pleasure.
When we bring God pleasure we glorify him.
When we glorify him we fulfill his purpose for our lives.
Notice God’s mercies.
The Blazing Center is the brainchild of me, Stephen Altrogge.
I’m married to Jen, and I have
three kids. I know a lot about Star Wars, and I live in a van down by the
river. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google+.
There are a number of other
authors who contribute as well, and without them, this blog would not be what
it is. I’m grateful to them all.
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