Lamentations 3:22–23 (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.”
DEVOTIONAL
In the heart of one of the darkest books of Scripture, we find a radiant gem of hope. Lamentations is a book soaked in sorrow, written by the prophet Jeremiah as he witnesses the devastation of Jerusalem. The city lies in ruins. The people are in exile. The covenant nation appears abandoned. And yet — right in the middle of the mourning — we find this astonishing confession: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.”
Jeremiah doesn’t deny the pain. He doesn’t sugarcoat the judgment of God. But he anchors his hope not in circumstances, but in the character of God. The Hebrew word for “steadfast love” (chesed) carries the weight of covenant loyalty — God’s faithful, enduring, undeserved love toward His people. Even in judgment, God’s heart is not absent. His mercies are not exhausted. They are not a reservoir that runs dry; they are a fountain, ever flowing.
“They are new every morning.” This isn’t merely poetic—it’s deeply pastoral. Each day you wake up is another testimony that God has not finished with you. No matter what yesterday held — sin, failure, sorrow, silence — the sunrise declares His mercies again. His grace meets us not because we have earned it, but because He has bound Himself to us through Christ.
And what secures this mercy? “Great is Your faithfulness.” Not our faithfulness. Not our resolve or discipline or zeal. The anchor is God’s own covenantal faithfulness — which finds its fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). On the cross, God poured out judgment on sin and yet displayed the fullness of His mercy for His people. In Christ, mercy and justice meet.
So when your heart condemns you, remember: His love has not failed. When trials weigh heavy and prayers seem unanswered, remember: His mercies are still flowing. When you feel like you’ve come to the end of yourself — rejoice — for you’ve come to the beginning of grace.
Take heart. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. And that is not just a promise — it is a Person.
Prayer:
Gracious and Faithful Father,
We come before You with hearts often weighed down by the cares of this world and the weight of our own sin. Yet in the midst of our weakness, You speak Your mercy over us — new every morning, sure and unfailing. Thank You for the steadfast love that never ceases, the covenant mercy that does not waver, and the faithfulness that holds us fast even when we stumble.
Forgive us, Lord, for the ways we have doubted Your goodness or questioned Your presence in our suffering. Remind us again, through Your Word and by Your Spirit, that our hope is not in changing circumstances, but in Your unchanging character.
Fix our eyes on Christ, the embodiment of Your mercy, who bore our sins, carried our sorrows, and rose victorious to give us life. May His cross be our confidence, His resurrection our joy, and His return our hope.
Help us to rest today not in our striving, but in Your steadfast love. Teach us to trust You in the silence, to wait on You in the darkness, and to rejoice in You with every new morning.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Sure Foundation.
Amen.