Never-ending

Lamentations 3:22-23 are some of the most encouraging verses in the Bible and perhaps also some of the most well-known, thanks to the hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” which is based on them.

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;

            his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness” (ESV).

Whenever I’ve heard sermons or discussions about these verses, the part that seems to be emphasized the most is the fact that God’s mercies are new every morning, and certainly that is an encouraging truth. Regardless of how much we have messed up the day before, each morning we are met, not with condemnation, but with mercies from God, and not just any mercies, but fresh mercies. It’s not yesterday’s leftovers that we are left to ration out throughout the day. Each morning God gives us brand new compassion to carry us through.

When I was reading these verses some time ago, though, another phrase stood out to me about His mercies that is just as encouraging. They “never come to an end.” Take a moment and think about how amazing that is. So many things in life—including earthly life itself—come to an end eventually, and endings often come with grief. We finish a good book or film; we move away; we say goodbye, and regardless of what new things are beginning, we still are left with a feeling of loss and sadness that a good thing did not last. Such is our lot here on this temporary earth of temporary things where Eternity is still in our future.

But there is a Being who exists beyond space and time and for whom Eternity is now (and has always been) present—"the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8, ESV). He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8, ESV), which means that He never changes. And if He never changes, then every aspect of His character is constant and never-ending. This means there will never ever be a point, in time or outside of it, when God’s mercy and compassion stop. There will never ever come a time when His love runs out or His faithfulness is depleted. We will never ever face a day when we must grieve the ending of God’s kindness. We’re often told to “never say never,” but when it comes to God, we can confidently say that who He is will never change.

In a world where it can seem that good things never last, we can find great joy and deep assurance in the fact that God’s mercies last forever. In a world where so little can be depended on, we can wholeheartedly depend on His faithfulness. His mercies are new in the morning, yes, but there also will never be a morning where they will cease to exist. The fountain of His love will never run dry. His tender care will never disappear from our lives. What a beautiful, calming, bolstering thought.

So the next time you are disappointed by the world or the people in it, the next time you must navigate the process of grieving an ending, the next time you feel like there is nothing solid to hold on to, read these verses and meditate on the constancy of God’s character and the never-ending nature of His good gifts to His children. Will you join me even today in thanking God for this marvelous truth?

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;”

PC: Pamela Hollis. Used with permission.