New Mercies

I am not sure how you feel about this time of year, but I know for me it can be challenging. I think many people struggle during the colder, drearier months of the year and that holidays can be difficult for some. For me, both of those things are true.

Many people struggle with depression or just extreme fatigue during winter. It is common for those of us in cold parts of the world to have a hard time, so please don’t feel alone!

During these last couple of months, I have been throwing punches at discouragement and depression, but they’ve been throwing punches too. I have been trying not to grow negative and ungrateful. I have been trying to hold onto the joy and hope the Lord gives. But that can be extremely difficult sometimes.

I would love to encourage you, as someone who is in the struggle with you, that there is much to be hopeful for! The past week or so, the Lord has just pressed on me that His mercies are new every morning.

Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

I know that the statement “His mercies are new every morning” is a popular one in Christian culture and this verse is probably familiar, but I wonder if we really let that truth sink into our souls and provide us the hope and encouragement that it should. I know that I haven’t always savored that truth the way I should.

Not only are His mercies new every morning (and never-ending btw), but His love is steadfast, and His faithfulness is great. How good is our God?

Seeing these new mercies is something we have to actively strive to do. In our flesh, thankfulness, and recognition of the good and blessing God pours over us is not something that happens naturally. But as Christians, we are called to have a Spirit of thankfulness to God in all things. God’s Word calls us to peace and thankfulness over and over.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Since God knows what is best for us and most glorifying to Himself, when He instructs us to do these things, we can be sure that following these instructions is going to produce the best outcome in all ways.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

We are called to resist anxiety, pray fervently, and do all this in thankfulness. If we do this, God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds. There are many other passages where God commands or instructs us to be thankful, which means it is really important to Him, and again, means He knows that is the best thing for us.

It may seem difficult to find things to be thankful for at times, but there are always things to be thankful for. And since God specifically instructs us to be thankful, we should work at it always, no matter how difficult it can be.

As the Lord presses this truth that His mercies are new every morning into my heart, I have been extra grateful. In one way, for the way that God provides enough grace for each day that we face. I have been more and more aware that God is providing every bit of grace I need to endure each day and that is one of His “new mercies” for me each day. In every moment when I just feel like I can’t handle it anymore, He pours His grace over me.

This may sound silly or just very obvious, but a way I so clearly see God’s new mercies each day is in the way He separated day and night. In Genesis 1, it says that God created light and dark, and He separated them and called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” This was certainly not an accident.

I was just thinking about how wonderful and necessary it is that each night we go to sleep and when we wake up it is a new day. Each night we have the opportunity to “reset” and reevaluate our mindset. I am seeing how thoughtful it is that we don’t live in a perpetual, endless world with no natural breaks and ends.

I think God knew that this life we live would someday be very difficult and broken and that we would need to rest. How good of God to allow us a break every night?

There have been many nights where I thought to myself, I can’t do it anymore. There have been nights when I genuinely couldn’t see an end in sight and my life felt so hopeless. Sometimes when I wake up after these nights, I really still feel pretty hopeless. But more often, my perspective and emotions have changed a lot. My perspective is full of more optimism and my emotions have become less potent.

I think God does a work in us as we sleep. I think God designed night and sleep to bring restoration not just to our bodies, but to our minds and our spirits.

I was talking to my sister the other day and she was encouraging me that even when I am not actively writing out, thinking through, or praying to God about the areas in my life that need healing, Jesus is interceding (praying or petitioning) for me and because of that, God is always working in my life.

The way that we know that Jesus intercedes for us is from Romans 8:26-27 which says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” Later, in verse 34 it says that Jesus is at the right hand of God interceding for us.

First of all, what a beautiful and wonderful truth that is! It is beyond comprehension that God cares so deeply for us that He is very intentional to pray over us and for us. He is petitioning for us all the time!

I think this applies to us as we sleep. I think that Jesus is interceding for us as we lay down to rest. Jesus is speaking peace and comfort over us as we sleep. He is petitioning for our needs. He is actively asking the Lord to sustain us and give us new mercies! There are times when I feel like absolute garbage as I lay down to rest, then I wake up feeling very different, no wonder—Jesus is praying for me!

This thought brings to mind Psalm 23 which says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

I feel like God sometimes carries out Psalm 23 while we sleep. He leads us peacefully to green pastures and beside quiet waters, He refreshes our souls, He comforts us, He fills up our cup, and He pours out His goodness and love. God does this while we are awake as well, but I picture Him fulfilling this as we sleep.

I can’t claim to know exactly what Jesus prays over us or how He prays for us, but I KNOW that He does intercede for us. I am so comforted by that truth.

Earlier this week, I was having a conversation with someone, and we were talking about how healing isn’t linear. I was sharing how much has happened in the last 2 months or even 1 month and that God has just done so much. This person encouraged me that sometimes progress and healing come in waves. Sometimes, it is slow, and we need to keep being patient and other times it comes fast, and we are overwhelmed by how much is changing for the better.

It is easy for me to see areas of my life that feel unchanged even when I pray fervently for a breakthrough, and yet, there are other areas where I fail to recognize the amazing things God has done and how far He has taken me.

His mercies are new every morning and we don’t get to define what mercy means to a sovereign God. Sometimes, His mercy says no to things we want desperately, other times His mercy says yes to things we want to avoid with everything in us. But it is His mercy nonetheless.

Part of God’s new mercies are new seasons—it could be a season to depend deeply on God and grow in patience when things come slowly and we don’t feel like having faith, or it could be a season to see again how powerful God is and how faithful He is to fulfill His promises.

In every season, God is working. Every day God is working. Every moment is accomplishing the will of our Father. He is merciful and loving and faithful. We are in His hands and He cares deeply for us. Let us not forget that we deserve nothing, and our God has decided instead to pour out mercy upon mercy on us.

I guess I want to encourage you, and me… to seek out the good, seek out the new mercies, and seek to acknowledge these things to God and thank Him for them. It is so easy to be discouraged during this season but let us seek encouragement through God’s Word and from His extravagant mercies over us.

This post is really me preaching to myself if I am honest with you. I am certainly not doing these things perfectly, but God is pressing this into my Spirit and so I am working on it! I hope these truths can be encouraging to you. Remember, you are not alone in this difficulty and struggle. There are many others who struggle similarly and there is a God who cares for you very much! Thanks for showing up,

Elena ❤