"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:23)

That verse from the Old Testament is a favorite of many, and even gave us the main chorus line to one of the all-time great hymns that we still sing. We used to also sing a praise song back in the day straight from the words of that verse. It is especially ironic that we find a verse that inspires such hope in a book of lamenting written by "the weeping prophet" Jeremiah.

There are two words that stand out in the verse, even though at first it is easy to miss them. They are words that speak of dependability, consistency, persistence...and faithfulness. And when you come to understand the power of those two words, specifically as they relate to God's character of faithfulness, it very well might change your life.

What are those two words? Never and every.

The words are similar grammatically--especially the relationship between never and ever--but of course, they are in contrast to one another. Never means "not ever, on no occasion; at no time, in no way; absolutely not." On the other hand, every means "without exception." One communicates something negatively, the other positively. 

And here is where those words connect with real life: When you are frustrated or disappointed or inclined to give up, or when you are convinced that God is ready to give up on you, you can place your faith in Him, because you understand that those two words about Him are always true.

NEVER. His love never ends. This is the negative side of what Jeremiah was writing, but it is not really negative at all. He was saying that it is NOT possible for God to NOT love, no matter what happens in this world, and no matter what we do. There is no chance whatsoever that He will stop loving us. And by the way, in the original Hebrew, the word translated never means never. As is, not ever.

EVERY. His mercy is new every morning. Like the movie Groundhog Day, every day is the same, in that we can wake up to His mercy, except that it is new and refreshing to us. Every day, no matter what. This means that you can open your eyes every day right with God, if you want to. Not because you were perfect yesterday, but because today, like every day, He extends His mercy brand new, to anyone who will receive it.  

Thank God for never and every. I hope you are encouraged by those two words today. Great is His faithfulness! 

Have a blessed weekend. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

--Pastor Ken