December 1st

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.” 
Lamentations 3:22

Lamentations is a book about extreme suffering. Often, books in the Hebrew Bible were named after the first word that appears in them. Lamentations begins with a Hebrew word for "woe," so, essentially, the book was called "Alas!" until it was later named for its content. This verse serves as a reminder of God's faithfulness through the darkest of times. God is love, and because of that, we can have hope; we can carry on; we can cry out to Him because His compassion for us will never run out! I like to think of this verse as the hug of a parent when their child is suffering: tight, strong, sure, and unwavering.

I encourage you to cry out to God today. What is hurting your heart? What is overwhelming your mind? Whatever it is, just tell Him—get it out—and then speak aloud the words of this verse: "Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail." Say it over and over again if you need to. Be encouraged today, knowing that God sees you, He loves you, and He will always love you. This kind of love is hard for us to fully comprehend, so it is worth repeating again and again. Here is another translation, along with the few verses that follow:

Because of the Lord’s
Faithful love
We do not perish.
For his mercies never end
They are new every morning;
Great is your faithfulness!
I say, “The Lord is my portion,
Therefore I will put my hope in him.”

-Lacy Wagler