The mercies of the morning. I love the morning time in every season, when creation begins to stir, and the world is still quiet. Morning, when the light is subtle and lays softly upon earth; when the mercies of God are renewed. "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."- Lamentations 3:22-23
The mornings in May often feel particularly special, revealing the flutter and footsteps of the babies newly born to creation. Spring mornings hold the joy of freshly bloomed fruits and flowers. Flowers, whose petals hold the remnants from the late night rains. I love the gentle cool air of May mornings, and the hopeful breezes that bend the Indian grass, and cause the daisies to bow.
The scripture tells us that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, and that His mercies never come to and end. The Word declares that His mercies toward His children are new every single morning. Oh, how great is the faithfulness of the Lord; we shall hope in Him. You see, the Lord God Almighty, He is a God of clean slates. When we are born again, the scripture tells us that He casts our sin as far as the east is from the west; He remembers it no more. The Word says that If we stumble along the way, we can run as children to our Father towards the throne of grace and that He washes our sin away. Oh, that we were stained with scarlet, but have been washed as white as snow. We are also promised, that His mercies are new each morning. A new chance to be transformed, to love our family well, to think thoughts that agree with His Word, to consume nourishing food and drink, to be contented in the little things, to speak words that concur with His Spirit. We have a renewed opportunity to rise above our yesterday, just as the sun rises and crests the mountain ridge at dawn.
What joy is it to know that we need not be a slave to what has been, but through the power of God's Word and Spirit, we can be new. Sometimes our past, or even our yesterday, can weigh us with shame, guilt, grief, fear, and anger. It can attempt to hold us in chains of bondage, whispering its song that you will never be free. It attempts to trap you in its cycle of insecurity and insist that you entertain its lies in the shadows. Just as the dawning of each new day is promised to us, so are the mercies of our Creator promised every morning to those to reach out for them. I can tell you that I was bound for too long, but I serve a God who sets the captives free. He has been peeling back the layers for me over these years, and showing me deeper and deeper depths of His grace and how it operates in our lives. Oh my friends, it is sweet.
I want you to know that letting go of yesterday can be a process, but when we can come into agreement with the Word of God, and allow ourselves to live in the mercies offered each day, a whole new world of freedom is before us.
May your heart find rest today.