Happy New Year, Sisters! With the new year comes our new theme for 2022. We loved learning how to ABIDE last year, and we are so excited for this year’s focus:
“Fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise” Lamentations 2:23 (GNBDC)
The New Year is often the time for new starts, for New Years resolutions, and this theme is all about fresh starts!
You’ve probably heard or read the following verses: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’” Lamentations 3:22-24 (ESV)
The author of Lamentations is unknown, but we do know that it was written shortly after Babylon’s destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Jerusalem fell because the Israelites were unfaithful and disobedient to God. Even though it was at Israel’s fault, picture this: you have been told your whole life that you are God’s chosen people, but then your “Promised Land”—the land your ancestors longed for for centuries—is completely destroyed. A lamentation is a passionate expression of grief or sorrow, and it makes total sense why this book of sorrow was written when it was—God’s people ignored His warnings and were now dealing some of the consequences.
In order to grasp the fuller meaning of our theme, it’s vital we look at what surrounds it. Lamentations 1 is all about Jerusalem’s sorrow. Lamentations 2 is all about the LORD punishing His people. Even the verses in chapter 3 just prior to our verse are so negative.an't wait to study this more with all of youI look forward to sgrowing in this with all of you!
Speaking of the sorrow, the author says in verses 20-21, “My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:” Putting all the verses together, the author is saying (in simpler terms):
“My soul is sorrowful, but I think of the following and I have hope: The LORD’s unfailing love and mercy never cease. Fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The LORD is all I need. I hope in Him.”
Isn’t that so beautiful that the author—who just previously wrote verses like, “He has filled me with bitterness; he has sated me with wormwood” (Lamentations 3:15)—is still able to remind himself of God’s ultimate great love and mercy despite our failures? I especially love the way that the Good News Bible translation states verse 23, “Fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise.” God’s love and mercy are as fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise.
This past year has been an odd, unsettled year for me. Between January through June, I was going back and forth from living on campus to going home, back to campus, back to home, back to campus, and back to home for the summer. Within this past fall quarter, I ended up coming home twice and now I’m home again for winter break, staying an extra month because of COVID. Long story short, 2021 was a time where I was forced to have a “new start” basically every week. In this case, having to restart so often was exhausting and quite draining. I found myself constantly tired and distant. It was difficult to have a good attitude, easy to fall into temptation. It was difficult to have quiet time, easy to distract myself with rather unimportant things.
I have learned that despite my own and life’s inconsistencies, God is ALWAYS consistent.
In times where I am unsettled, God’s love and presence were always there wherever I went. When I am consistently sinful, he is consistently merciful. When I am unfaithful to Him, He is always faithful to me. As my attention has been so divided from life in Santa Cruz and life in San Diego, God’s attention has never left me. Even when it feels like my “Jerusalem” has been destroyed, God is still always faithful. It is beautiful that my shortcomings actually amplify the abundance of goodness from the LORD.
It is so easy to be shameful about sin, to be distant from God. It is so easy to keep trying to carry all of your heavy baggage on your own. But here’s the thing: the Gospel gives you a fresh start. Every single day gives fresh mercies and compassions from God. We are in need of and are given a constant supply of these things and luckily God freely gives without fail. No matter how your past day or days have been, us Christians can look towards God everyday and every year for a fresh start! As I look back at all my sinful inconsistencies, I am confident looking forward that God’s daily renewal of love and mercy will be ever present as I learn to further lean on Him everyday.
I look forward to growing more in this truth with all of you!
- Lauren