God’s Great Mercy

“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 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. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.” Lamentations 3:21-26

In the midst of lamenting for the great losses that his people had suffered and weeping over their pitiful condition, Jeremiah remembers something that gives him hope. As he looked around at the few people who remained in the city, he wondered why they were still alive. The Babylonians certainly had the power to have killed them all, but they had not done so. In his sorrow, Jeremiah realized that there was only one reason that they had survived, and that was the mercy of God. When God shows us mercy, He withholds some punishment or hurtful thing from us that we actually deserve. Jeremiah understood that all of the people had deserved to die. None of them merited the opportunity to live another day, but God had allowed them to have that opportunity. Jeremiah realized that what activates God’s mercy toward us is His infinite compassion. God extends His mercy to us as a result of His love and concern for us. He faithfully shows His mercy because His compassion never fails. Like Jeremiah, we can find hope in times of sorrow by considering God’s great mercy.