"What's new?"
This is a classic, casual question folks often pose when they have not been in touch for awhile. How do you usually answer such a question? What is the first response you usually get when asking others? A familiar reply that I have often received is, "Oh, nothing much really." Generally, this automatic answer is delivered with a shrugging of the shoulders while exempt of facial expression. Today I'm going to pretend that one of you has just asked me "What's new, Miss Pam?" I hope you are ready to hear my response…
Lamentations 3:22-24 (KJV)
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.
Based on this portion of scripture, my answer is that the Lord's mercies are new! Sometimes it seems that we are constantly faced with a routine life, doing the same things over and over again, day in and day out. In fact, you might linger in bed upon waking and feel as if you are about to live yesterday all over again. We can get trapped into thinking "nothing much" is ever new and be guilty of answering others with a lethargic reply when we are asked what is new. But I'm here to remind you today that what's new for us EVERY MORNING are the Lord's mercies! God forbid we should ever forget them and go on thinking "nothing much" is new! The Lord’s mercies are the reason we are not consumed; they prolong our lives and keep us going day after day! The Lord's mercies fail not, they are eternal, and they are ever before us and behind us as a reminder of God's great faithfulness toward us because of His great love for us!
Psalm 103:17a (KJV)
But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting....
The Bible teaches that these mercies are boundless; there is no end to them for they are wrought in God Himself!
Psalm 108:4 (KJV)
For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto
the clouds.
May I also remind you that God’s mercy has made our salvation possible!
Titus 3:5 (KJV)
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His
mercy he saved us....
Ephesians 2:4-5
But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ,
(by grace are ye saved;)...
Ladies, God alone can meet our needs every day and He is a God who is rich in mercy on top of that! Isn't that a precious thought?? The Lord brings forth life out of death in His great mercy. Therefore, there is no situation that is hopeless! Even when we fail, God delights in mercy, for He is always ready to forgive us. This forgiveness is what we also find new every morning, available to us because of His mercy!! At one time each one of us has joined David in crying out to the Lord for mercy - and graciously found it waiting for us as seen in the verses below...
Psalm 6:2 (KJV)
Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak...
Psalm 41:4 (KJV)
I said, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against
thee.
Psalm 86:3 (KJV)
Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.
Psalm 51:1 (KJV)
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according
unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Ladies, God's mercies are tender! (How about yours??) That means He is sensitive to the pain and suffering that we are experiencing. He is very aware of each and every area of our lives where we are broken, bruised, and injured. The Lord applies His loving kindness and gentleness to those places because of the multitude of His tender mercies. As a mother, there were many times that I bathed my children in their younger years completely unaware of the bruises they received at play. In my ignorance I had scrubbed their tender areas too hard while washing, causing them to whimper in discomfort. You see, I was not able to apply tenderness where I was not aware of the injury, but this is not so with our great God - He knows all our sore spots and takes them into consideration when working His plan out in our lives! Aren't you thankful for that? Such knowledge is too wonderful…
Psalm 145:9 (KJV)
The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
Psalm 25:6 (KJV)
Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they
have been ever of old.
Psalm 40:11 (KJV)
Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy lovingkindness
and thy truth continually preserve me.
With mercy freshly delivered to us every morning, how much more should we then delight in delivering mercy to others? Ladies, we should not retain our anger but be ready to forgive as God is, amen? Offences will come to us daily, yet we are granted new mercies to carry us through and apply to our lives. Some of us delight more in holding onto grudges tightly, even after having begged God not to withhold His precious pardon for our own sins! With unforgiving spirits, we are unable to be as tender with others as the Lord has been with us. We are poor stewards of what has been freely bestowed upon us... In our anger we have shut up our tender mercies, God's tender mercies flowing in and through us! Hence, we become callous to the pain of others. Therefore, we deal harshly with people and even forsake them altogether. May God help us to bypass transgressions rather than park on them, delighting always in making use of new mercy…
Micah 7:18 (KJV)
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the
transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger
for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
As a matter of fact, God commands man to exercise the very mercy we have received from Him...
Luke 6:36 (KJV)
Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
2 Samuel 22:26 (KJV)
With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright
man thou wilt shew thyself upright.
Incidentally, if we are not willing to exercise mercy, we are only going to hurt ourselves in the end. We will cut ourselves off from the very mercies that are new to us every morning! Do you really want to be cut off from the Lord's tender mercies?? I don’t have any desire to be my own worst enemy!
Proverbs 11:17 (KJV)
The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth
his own flesh.
Matthew 5:7 (KJV)
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
In conclusion, why don't you take some time in prayer to thank the Lord for His faithfulness and acts of mercy in your life. We don't often stop long enough to meditate on the goodness of God. When we finally do, we will clearly see that His mercies truly are new every morning and have been of old! The Bible says in Daniel 9:9, "To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against Him..." It's true, we HAVE rebelled many times, haven't we? Yet God's character has not changed one bit - His tender mercies and forgiveness can always be found - GREAT is His faithfulness even when our faithfulness falters! Repent of those areas in your heart where you have retained your anger toward others rather than extending mercy. And from now on, when someone asks you "What's new?", I hope you will tell them the truth - tell them the Lord's mercies are new, EVERY MORNING!
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2004
