January 8, 2010 - Lamentations 3:22-24

Who would have thought that such a hopeful verse would come out of the book of Lamentations?

"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 Lord is my portion,' says my soul,
'therefore I will hope in Him.'"

Indeed. Every morning that I wake up on this side of the dirt is a brand new day. New trials, new mercies. New opportunities to trust God. New joys to discover, even in the midst of grief.

It is easy to get wrapped up in one's troubles. They all seem so overwhelming sometimes. How am I going to pay this? What will I do about that? What if such-and-such happens? Sometimes I live in the future and forget that right now, at this particular instant in time, is what is important. God is here, with me, right now. He is taking care of things, right now. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:34, "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today." So, too, perhaps, are today's joys enough for one day.

Living in the "now" may not always be easy. There are always plans to make and events to either look forward to (or dread). But in the midst of that is NOW, just NOW. Let us hang on to that, and see what God is doing right now, trust that later will take care of itself.

Blessings.