Great Plains Daily Devotional for 9/30/2019

Lamentations 3:22-23 

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 following devotional is a reflection on the themes expressed and celebrated in the praise and worship song “Even If I Tried” written by United Methodist pastor Chris Aytes. You can listen to “Even If I Tried” here: https://youtu.be/QIbLrEems0s

Someone pointed out to me a couple of years ago that the etymology of the English word mercy relates to the words merchant or mercantile, so to have mercy on someone is more than showing them forgiveness where you could have shown them wrath. True mercy, much like grace, goes beyond forgiveness and becomes an empowering force.

God’s mercies are new every day, according to Lamentations 3:22-23, so God’s provisions for us are new every day. This reminds me of the manna that God fed the Israelites with. Their instructions were to eat and save nothing for tomorrow, trusting that tomorrow God will be faithful to feed them again.

It can be hard to trust God with the things that weigh heavy on our hearts and minds, even when he has proved himself in our lives time and time again. How much more have we survived by the love, grace, and mercies of God without even knowing it? When we think of the prayers we have not yet seen answered or the worries we have not yet seen resolved, could we stop and consider all he has done for us, is doing for us, and is about to do for us that we are not even aware of?

God’s love is steadfast; we cannot get away from it, and if we did, we would surely perish. We could not live a day without the love and grace of God, even if we tried.

 

Prayer for Reflection

Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15
Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16
1 Timothy 6:6-19
Luke 16:19-31