In need of new mercies today?
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.”—Lamentations 3
Fresh mercies for us!
Anyone else love the reminder that the Lord has brand-new mercies for us every day? I do.
As a wife and mom of two (among other things), the pressure cooker of life at times can make me stress… act with impatience… and say things I shouldn’t, especially when we’re in a rush to get out the door on time. I adore my sweet girls, but at times I can vent my frustration. {Can anyone else relate?}
Then mama has to apologize and give hugs and humble herself. It’s an unfun process and one I’d like to stop repeating. After all, the Lord has been incredibly patient with me, so who am I to rush my child and cause her stress, too?
What an encouragement that—when my attitude is off, my words too many, and my heart not right—the Lord still wants to give me waves of His grace instead of condemnation or shame. He wants me to feel His love even and especially when I mess up, a continual reminder that:
I can’t earn this perfect love of His,
I don’t deserve it,
I’m so grateful for it,
and I’m compelled to share it with other imperfect people—this fantastic news that we’re the apple of His eye even in our daily struggles.
When we criticize ourselves for failing again, even since yesterday, the idea of new daily mercies is so appealing. And did you catch that? There are multiple mercies available to us all! Isn’t that what we need—lots of them refreshed every 24 hours?
But for the grace of God
When we stay in this place of grateful humility, we’re where He wants us. We remember how much we need Him and can extend this same grace to people in our lives who fail us. And this honest view of ourselves helps us lay down our gavels and judgmental attitudes.
As the song says “but for the grace of God go I.” The truth is, we’ve all fallen short of His glorious standard. Even for those who’ve followed Jesus closely throughout their lives (I so appreciate these faithful ones!!), it’s the grace of God that’s kept them close and likely the result of someone’s prayers. Scripture says it perfectly,
“It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” —Ephesians 2
None of us can boast because we’re all equals who need His mercy! Thankfully, our Father is a fountain of it every day for those who believe and receive it.