FRIDAY 31st
Lamentation 3:22-26
NIV ‘Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.’
ESV ‘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.” The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.’
I ended the devotion yesterday with the final verse in Psalm 107, ‘Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.’ As we have come to the end of yet another year, may we consider the steadfast love of the Lord and of his faithfulness toward us yet again.
Lamentations reminds us that it is only because of God’s great love that we are not consumed, it is intended to place a picture before us of a holy God, contrasted to that of sinful humanity in his state of utter depravity, we don’t deserve God’s grace and mercy, we deserve to be consumed, obliterated, and yet because of his great love toward us he reaches out to us, he saves us, he forgives us, he restores us, he allows us to come before him, with hearts that have been washed and cleansed, and daily he allows us to receive of his benefits, to receive from his hand of blessing, therefore we should cry out, great is thy faithfulness, O Lord to me’.
As we look back over 2021 each one of us will look back in different ways as we will recall God’s goodness and faithfulness. We will recall how he has delivered, how he has healed, how he has provided, how he has protected, how he has restored, how he has been with us as we have gone through a storm, or through a bereavement, or through a difficult situation, he has been there, he has been with us and he has brought us through—great is thy faithfulness O Lord, we lift our hearts, we lift our hands, we lift our voices, we thank you, we honour you and we bow the knee before you.