Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today let’s go to the LORD in prayer to find relief.

Today’s scripture, Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT
[22] The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. [23] Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Consider…
I hope and pray this week has revealed, and encouraged you to draw from, the reservoir of relief that our LORD has.

A beautiful thing about the LORD’s relief is that it’s an unlimited supply. Like Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:14 (NLT)…
[14] But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

The reason I included the woman’s ethnicity is because our LORD wants us to know that His neverending and unfailing supply of relief is available to everyone, regardless of their history or moral failings.

John 4:9-10 (NLT) shares…
[9] The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” [10] Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

The Holy Spirit is telling us to be careful with our dismissal of who and what God may use as a vessel to administer His relief.

The Holy Spirit is also emphasizing the replenishing sustenance our LORD provides.

To reiterate that truth, He led me to John 6:35 (NLT), which affirms…
[35] Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

The relieving refrain that Jesus repeats is ‘will never be’. That means there’s no lack or left wanting in God. It’s what David knew when he wrote Psalms 23:1 (NLT)…
[1] The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.

The Holy Spirit is emphasizing our unlimited supply of everything we need, including relief, is found in the Source, so look to God.

Like the Psalmist says in Psalms 121:2 (NLT)…
[2] My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!

And echoes in Psalms 54:4 (NLT)…
[4] But God is my helper. The LORD keeps me alive!

These are important truths to remember in our times of distress and grief. As a matter of fact, today’s scripture follows the dire lament of Lamentations 3:17-20 (NLT)…
[17] Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. [18] I cry out, “My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the LORD is lost!” [19] The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. [20] I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.

Here’s the reality, we will experience distress and grief. Jesus Himself tells us suffering is inevitable. He said in John 16:33 (NLT)…
[33] I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Most of us Christians don’t like the ugly truth that suffering is tethered to salvation. But Romans 8:17 (NLT) explains…
[17] And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

The Holy Spirit is telling me that God’s children suffer by nature. Meaning, suffering is included in our relationship with Christ.

So why does God make suffering mandatory? I believe Jesus’ close friend Peter provides a clue in 1 Peter 5:10-11 (NLT), which says…
[10] In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. [11] All power to him forever! Amen.

The key to our suffering is it focuses our dependency on God rather than ourselves. That reminds me of the late Andrae Crouch’s lyrics…

[Verse 1]
I’ve had many tears and sorrows
I’ve had questions for tomorrow
There’s been times I didn’t know right from wrong
But in every situation
God gave me blessed consolation
That my trials came to only make me strong

[Verse 2]
I’ve been to lots of places
I’ve seen a lot of faces
But there were times that I felt so all alone
But in my lonely hours
Yes, those precious lonely hours
Jesus lets me know that I was His own
That’s the reason I say

[Chorus]
Through it all
Mm, Through it all
I’ve learned to trust in Jesus
I’ve learned to trust in God
Let me tell you that

Through it all, oh
Through it all
I’ve learned to depend upon His Word

Suffering teaches trust in, and depend on God!

Romans 5:3-5 (NLT) underscores this truth…
[3] We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. [4] And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. [5] And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Suffering breaks our independence and develops our total dependence on God. Said another way, suffering saps our limited strength to make room for God’s limitless renewing strength .

That what we see when Jeremiah laments his debilitating suffering in Lamentations 3:17-20. But the next verse holds the key to tapping into God’s reservoir of relief. Lamentations 3:21 (NLT)…
[21] Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:

Notice Jeremiah said he found hope in remembering. The key to remembering is it indicates prior knowledge.

May I suggest, rather than taking God’s r goodness for grant it that we learn to treasure it in our hearts to remind He’s good when things are bad.

I truly believe we know, and have experienced, God is good long before adversity sits on our front stoop.

That’s why it behoves us to do what Psalms 34:8 (NLT) encourages…
[8] Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

Fill up on the goodness of God daily. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:11 (NLT)…
[11] Give us today the food we need,

You see, God knows if we don’t focus on a daily experience with Him, we will too easily forget all that He’s done.

Remember the Children of Israel who continually forgot how the LORD answered their prayers during their wilderness transition from slavery to the promised land? In fact, God told them in Deuteronomy 8:12-18 (NLT)…
[12] For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, [13] and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! [14] Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. [15] Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! [16] He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. [17] He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ [18] Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.

That hit play on the Lala Hathaway singing Donald Lawrence’s lyrics…

Don’t forget to remember where your blessings come from.
Don’t forget to give honour where honour is due.
Don’t forget to give thanks to the One who put you there.
Don’t forget where your blessings come from.

When you get a little money,
Get up on your feet,
Why do we change?

Get a little fortune and fame,
Sign a title to your name,
Why do we change?

Just like the ten in the Bible days,
Who were blessed by the Lord
And went on their way.
Except one came back with gratitude,
We’ve got to give honour where it is due.

Where all our blessings,
Where all our blessings,
Where all our blessings come from.

Always remember Jesus, Jesus,
Always keep Him on your mind.

You see if we don’t acknowledge God’s goodness along the way, we won’t remember He’s good on our bad days. Thus, the reason remembering God’s goodness is so important is because it fortifies the fact that God is good in our consciousness!

To help in that fortification, let’s make our daily refrain be Psalms 107:1 or Psalms 118:1 (NLT), which both declare…
[1] Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

It’s remembering the LORD is good despite his circumstances and situation being bad that inspired Jeremiah to say in today’s first verse…The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease.

Notice what memories inspire Jeremiah’s hope…

• God’s faithful love
• God’s endless love
• God’s continuous mercy

Notice, Jeremiah shifted his focus from his situation to his Savior. In fact, he got so excited remembering who God is that he doubled down in verse 23, which had the weeping prophet start shouting with joy…Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

When we, like Jeremiah, remember how good God is, we can say with the Psalmist in Psalms 42:11 (NLT)…
[11] Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!

The last thing the Holy Spirit wants to leave with us regarding God’s recurring relief is found 2 verses after today’s scripture. Lamentations 3:25-26 (NLT) says…
[25] The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. [26] So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD.

Thanks to my wife, I know this verse in no way suggests God isn’t also good to those who don’t depend on Him. We know that because Jesus said in Matthew 5:45 (NLT)…
[45] In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

Rather, Lamentations 3:25-26 are meant inspire hope for those of us who depend ‘souly’ on God.

The LORD wants us to be confident in His goodness towards us. He wants us to declare with the Psalmist in Psalms 27:13-14 (NLT)…
[13] Yet I am confident I will see the LORD’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. [14] Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.

Interesting, God says…

• Be confident in His goodness, while we’re here on earth
• Wait patiently on Him
• Be brave and courageous while waiting, in other words keep moving
• In the meantime wait patiently, said another way keep trusting

The Holy Spirit is saying relief to our distress and grief is found in our confidence in God and His unconditional faithfulness and unfailing love to us.

That’s why we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NLT)…
[7] For we live by believing and not by seeing.

Therefore, believe God regardless of what your circumstances or situations show you.

Praise God that He has given us another key to unlocking His relief. It is remembering the LORD’s goodness, faithfulness and unfailing love, which will shift our focus like Jeremiah from our situation to our Savior.

And to help in His belief efforts, God gives us new mercies daily as a reminder that everyday we wake up He remains faithfully good and His unfailing love never ends!

Randomly the Holy Spirit redeemed another relief jingle…

Alka-Seltzer said…
Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz
Oh what a relief it is

The LORD says wake up every morning singing…
New Mercies, I see
Oh what relief God has for me

I encourage you, everyday when you wake up, take a moment to greet God’s new mercies and let them carry and inspire you throughout the day.

Today’s song is…
Good Morning Mercy

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)