A Pastor's Perspective

“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22, 23.

With each new year, there come the usual resolutions. A humorous cartoon depicts one character saying to another that New Year’s Resolutions are a “to do” list for only the first week of January.

Instead of resolving to do better this year and diminishing undesirable habits, all of us may best be served with just acknowledging our natural imperfections and laying them before the One Who keeps all of His promises, including His promise to forgive us and strengthen us when our own abilities fail.

The ancient prophet Jeremiah, who was the writer of the book of Lamentations, wrote in the context of his home city of Jerusalem that was besieged and desolated when foreign invaders overtook it. Jeremiah’s lamentations centered upon the misery of this great city.

He understood that the afflictions that Jerusalem’s inhabitants experienced were because of the lifting away of divine protection. The people had largely abandoned their spiritual heritage. Jeremiah called upon these now-captive Israelis to turn back to their God. The fact that the Hebrews would awake to a new morning each day was a showing of God’s mercy and faithfulness.

In the past year, have you abandoned your spiritual heritage? Could it be that you made an idol out of your own abilities to conquer your own difficulties? The Lord’s mercies and compassions do not fail.

Resolve to find a local house of worship where you can go beyond self-improvement and instead center on the One who provides compassion every morning.