You probably recognize Semper Fi as the U.S. Marine Corp. motto. You may even remember that it means, "Always Faithful." Another one of the devotional thoughts I sent out to our church reminded me that God is always faithful.
I was refreshed this week as I read from Lamentations chapter 3, "21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him. 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him."
This strikes me two ways. The first is the way I usually think of it. His mercies are new every morning. Therefore, I can find forgiveness anytime. I can get a fresh start, a New Year's Day, any day of the week. This is an encouragement to me because I fail Him often. He is faithful, though, always ready to forgive as we are told in 1 John 1:9. His mercy is a wonderful thing. The second way I see this is the context in which it was written. Jeremiah is downtrodden. His hope is almost gone because of the circumstances he finds himself in. But when he is at his lowest, he remembers that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases! There is hope in the most hopeless circumstances because God is loving, merciful, and faithful. He derives enjoyment, not from watching us suffer, but from delivering us from that suffering. He longs for us to wait for Him, to seek Him, to call on Him. And He is always faithful. Always faithful is redundant, but I say it for emphasis. He never fails us! We can count on Him to be there any time, and every time.
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