BIBLE PASSAGE:
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.
(Lamentations 3:22-23)
MEDITATION:
Have you ever gone to bed with something on your mind
that you cannot put aside?
Maybe it is problems in a relationship with someone;
maybe it is a challenge in your job;
maybe it is worry about a family member (or your own health);
maybe it is a problem that you are having a tough time solving;
maybe it is anger as a result of something someone else did, or said.
Sometimes you manage to drift off to sleep, but you wake up during
the night and whatever is troubling you seems to me magnified ten
times. You toss and turn, and your mind is in overdrive as you try
to solve everything quickly so you can get some sleep.
If the issue is regarding someone else, you may even orchestrate
your conversation with them the next day. You know the routine,
“As soon as I see them, I am going to say this. If they say
what I think they will say, then I will respond this way”.
When you think you have finally planned everything out for the
next day, you squeeze in as much sleep as you can before the alarm
starts blaring. The problem with all of your midnight planning is,
it seldom turns out as you expected. The next day when you see the
person you are upset with, they disarm you by saying something you
never expected.
Instead of upsetting you more, he or she says something nice
and it almost adds to your anger because you don’t get a chance
to follow the plans you made during the night. Not only that, but
you realize that the other person probably got a good night’s sleep
while you were tossing and turning all night.
No matter how bad things can seem in the middle of the night,
the daylight has a way of minimizing the severity of them.
Every morning ends the night and gives us a new perspective
that is different from the one we had during the night. Our
attitudes change when daylight replaces the darkness.
For those who belong to the Lord, our relationship with Him can
be quite different in the daylight than it is during the night.
During the night we can be consumed with all of the wrong things
that damage our fellowship with the Lord, but the daylight reminds
us that His ‘compassions never fail’.
His faithfulness overshadows our failures. In the darkness of night,
Satan wants to convince us that God no longer loves us. However,
the beauty of the sunlight reminds us that His compassions for us
are ‘new every morning’.
Jeremiah knew that even in the severity of God’s correcting His people,
there was still evidence of His compassion for them. There was rich
comfort in realizing the tender affection of God was not completely
spent, because they had not been totally consumed. They were still
alive and continued to have hope of experiencing the compassionate
love of God.
ACTION:
Maybe you are struggling with some issue right now. Rather than
focusing on the negatives of the situation, train yourself to focus
on the compassionate goodness of God. It’s not easy to “turn off”
the problems that occupy your mind, but the magnitude of them
can be reduced whenever you are able to think about the many
ways God has blessed you.
In the midst of your ‘midnight strategies’ force your mind to
take some time to seek the Lord, to remember that your
ultimate hope is in Him, and to wait quietly for His guidance.
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.
(Lamentations 3:24-26)
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your compassions
that never fail. Thank You for refreshing me each day
and for instilling in me a constant hope in You. Thank
You that Your love, compassion, and affection has no
boundaries. Whenever I allow issues in this life to
consume me, remind me to take time and focus on You,
how You have blessed me and the magnitude of Your
love for me. Help me to depend on Your guidance, rather
than relying independently on myself and excluding You.”
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