Great Is Thy Faithfulness

"This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:21-23)

This is one of my all-time favorite verses – it puts me in remembrance of one of my all-time favorite hymns . . . "Great Is Thy Faithfulness"!

Thomas Chisholm was born in 1866 in the state of Kentucky. He wrote over 1200 hymns, such as: "Living For Jesus," and "O, to be Like Thee." But the hymn we remember the most is "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." Chisholm did not write this hymn because something great and miraculous had taken place in his life. No, he wrote this because over his entire life he had learned to see the greatness of God. At the age of 75, he wrote:

"My income has not been large at any time due to impaired health
in the earlier years which has followed me on until now. Although I
must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping
God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care,
for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness."

Think about the scripture . . . "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope." If we could only discipline ourselves to bring this scripture to our minds, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." Remember it every time we are faced with doubt and unbelief. Keep it committed to memory for the times we come up against seemingly insurmountable situations. Remember, no matter what…Great is His faithfulness!

"Morning by morning, new mercies I see!" Those are Chisholm's words, but they must be our words as well. Oh yes! Our covenant-keeping God is faithful and His compassions fail not.

Read today's verse one more time . . . "This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." Now read the words penned by Chisholm who framed this scripture so powerfully, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness,
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessing all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided -
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Can you join in the chorus? Can you add your sacrifice of praise for God's faithfulness? Can you look beyond your disabilities, your disappointments, and your disillusionments to proclaim that no matter what, "Great is Thy Faithfulness"?

Spend some time right now – find a place where you are alone for a few moments and pour out your praise as a drink offering before the Lord. He's so worthy…His faithfulness so great!

Father, I can't get past these words . . . great is Your faithfulness! I've never known anyone so faithful, anyone so tender, anyone so forgiving! Oh Lord, I'm overwhelmed with praise as it stirs within my heart . . . great is Your faithfulness! Father, when all my friends fail me, You are faithful! When those closest to me let me down, You are faithful! When my family has turned cold toward me, You are faithful! When it looks as if everything is crumbling at my feet, You are there. And, not only are you there, You are FAITHFUL! Great . . . GREAT is Your faithfulness, morning after morning Your mercies are new! I'm overwhelmed by Your love, Your provision, and Your merciful faithfulness! In Jesus' name, by His blood, and for His glory . . . Amen and Amen!

"Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds." (Psalm 36:5)

© 2008 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

I Love Fall!

I just took Gracie outside for her afternoon walk. Oh my goodness! It’s incredibly beautiful today. The sun, though a bit hazy, is bright, the air smells of fall … drying leaves, fields ready for harvest, and the sound of geese overhead. The tips of the leaves on the trees are beginning to turn ever so slightly. The breeze seems to announce that it’s ushering in change … change we know to expect almost like clockwork, but still refreshingly new each year.

When I was a little girl, my Dad would take me down to the metropolitan park on the west side of Cleveland. We’d walk along the trails and look for beautifully colored leaves, peer at the clouds overhead through the towering trees, skip stones in Rocky River, wade through the water on the fjord across the river. I have amazing memories of our fall walks together. Father and daughter together where we could talk, laugh, and love. Such a picture! Such a precious time this daughter has cherished all her life.

Even though my Dad is gone, the seasons still change. Time goes on. The seasons come and go like clockwork, but still bring with them memories of a childhood that was a precious gift to me by God Himself.

I wasn’t born to my parents—I was chosen by them. My biological parents’ rights were severed by the court systems when I was nearly two years old. My parents saw me and fell in love, took me home to raise me as their very own. I became their daughter and they became my parents – parents who spared me from a lifetime of pain and suffering that would have been mine if God had not intervened. You see, it was all God – I had no choice. I simply grew into my new family, bore their name, adopted their customs and behaviorisms, and became every wit there’s. As I grew to adulthood, there was never a question about whose daughter I was – I was my parent’s daughter.

This is such a perfect picture of how God becomes our Father. When we are born, we are abandoned and orphaned because of our sin—fatherless and illegitimate children. In His great love and mercy, God chooses us – not because we have anything to offer Him, but because He wants children upon whom He can lavish His love. He takes us as His own and spares us from a life of pain and agony that would have otherwise been our destiny if He had not intervened. It is all God – we have very little say in it. Our part – our only part in the entire equation is to make ourselves available to Him, to submit to His sovereign call, and to come to Him as broken vessels needing to be made new.

We are powerless to become His child on our own volition. The Spirit draws us, He calls us, He reaches down to rescue us, and we submit. Just like my Mom and Dad. I was too young to come to them and ask them to take me as their own. But when they reached out, I became part of their family just like we become part of God’s family, bearing His name, growing to resemble Him more and more as we mature, taking on His character as we spend more time with Him.

Isn’t it amazing how God calls us to be His own by drawing us and stirring in our hearts? Isn’t it amazing how He spends time with us—one on one—to nurture us and teach us and lavish His love on us? Isn’t it amazing how seasons come and go even in our relationship with Him … we have seasons of unexplainable joy as well as seasons of unbelievable pain. Yet, He’s right there with us through it all, being our Father in His steadfastness and committed way. Even when we mess us, He never abandons us, but He woos us back into right relationship with Him.

Oh, yes! I love fall because it reminds me of my Father’s love for me through the changing seasons of life. The fresh, fall winds lead me to yearn for the day I will be changed, in the twinkling of an eye, and forever be with my Father in His house, to bask in the Sonlight, and to walk along the streets of glory breathing in the winds of eternal life that have enraptured my soul.
__________________
© 2008 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

Created to Praise

Did you ever stop to think about it? He "knows" every animal, every beast, every creature that crawls on this earth.  Even the sparrow . . . His eye is on each one.  Take a moment before you continue reading, and just consider what it means to know that He is more than simply aware of all the life on this planet, He "knows" it!

"I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine."  (Psalm 50:11)

Yes, we serve an awesome God, a God who is too difficult to comprehend.  But what warrants even further consideration is the fact that if He knows every creature upon the face of the earth, how much MORE intimately He knows us.  He has invested so much into our lives; we have to understand that His concern for us goes far beyond what it does for the rest of creation.

Mankind . . . created to be a praise to Him, created to bring Him glory, created to worship Him.  All that, yet with a will of our own to make the choice. Will we be a praise to Him on this earth?  Will we bring Him glory in our lives?  Will we worship our Creator?  Consider the difference between the angelic host and mankind. When man begins to praise the Lord, to bring Him glory and to worship Him, He stretches out His arms and clears the throne room to make room for us to come into His presence.  While the throneroom is filled with angels praising Him day and night before His throne, they are secondary to one soul offering up a heartfelt word of praise. The Lord longs for and glories in the praise and worship of His people far above the worship of His angelic beings; it thrills His heart when we CHOOSE to praise Him!

He's already there waiting to hear you. Go ahead and praise Him, glorify Him and worship Him.  He's ready to clear the throne room to make way for you to come into His presence to minister your love to Him.  Why not take some time now and exercise your will. Open your mouth and all your heart to pour out your praise to the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords . . . the Majestic One who gave His all for you.  Amen!

Father, thank you for loving me and knowing me more than I could ever hope to understand.  I am so undeserving of your great and unmatchable love, but I want to love you in return.  Lord, I pray You will give me a greater revelation of Your love for mankind through Your Word and through intimate time spent in Your presence.  I want to know You more. I want to love You more.  The greatest thing in all my life is loving You…Amen!

"After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." (Genesis 15:1)

© 2008 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

The Walls Are Broken

Nehemiah's words capture our attention today: "...the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down..."

Looking at the Church today it is easy to make a comparison . . . the walls have been broken down and sin has been granted entrance with little resistance. Rather than the Church influencing today's society, today's society is influencing the Church. In other words, the Church looks more like the world than like a pure and spotless Bride preparing herself for her soon-coming Bridegroom.

"And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire."  (Nehemiah 1:3)

But, God is raising up Nehemiahs to repair the walls and to go into action rebuilding the standard which sin has torn down.  The modern-day Nehemiahs understand what it takes to rebuild.  Paul tells us that we need to be changed.  We need to have a major renovation take place in our thinking AND to have our thinking affect our actions and our lifestyles.  The key word is "transformation" . . . a word that comes from a Greek word similar to our word "metamorphosis" meaning a change in form and habits becoming something totally different from its original state.  Without transformation, our hearts will continue to harden against the Lord and society will continue to influence the Church until it is no longer recognizable as a holy and peculiar people set apart unto the Lord. 

It has to start with you and me . . . we can't wait for others to begin to change, we are not accountable for them.  Ask God today what areas in your life need to change.  Ask Him how your life can more clearly reflect the Light of the world.  Begin to search your own heart to see if your thinking and your behavior are pleasing to Him or if you have fallen in the trap of going along with the modern trends in today's culture leading you away from a holy lifestyle.

Nehemiah didn't just accept the circumstances of the broken walls of Jerusalem.   He sought the Lord and then he saw God supernaturally make a way for him to do what God had called him to do.  God will do the same for you.  Ask Him!  Let Him know you want to be part of the rebuilding of the true Church, not the broken down and ravaged body that has accepted the world's call to conformity.  Dare to be a Nehemiah . . . pray, confess sin, fast, wait before God, and storm the gates of heaven for yourself, your family, and on behalf of the Church. Be a part of the solution; doing nothing will only find you part of the growing problem.

Father, my heart is heavy when I think of the Church You built up to reign in and to dwell in and to use for Your holy purposes. The effects of sin have diminished the power You have intended the Church to display in order that Your glory might be manifest throughout the earth. Although I don't understand how it came to be this way, I do understand that if You are not glorified, if the Word of God is not revered, then the evil in this world has entered in because the walls have not been rebuilt. Help me to recognize those things in my own heart that need to be transformed into Your likeness and Your image.  I want to change, Lord, and I want to recognize those things in me which smell of conformity to this world's standards.  Lord, change me!  Lord, transform me!  Lord, let a true metamorphosis begin in me and spread to those around me.  But, start it in me, Lord . . . I need change!  In Jesus' name for His glory, amen!

"And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven" (Nehemiah 1:4)

© 2008 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

An Open Mission Field

"One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts."  (Psalm 145:4)

What are some of your fondest memories? Can you remember sitting on a grandparent's lap as they tell you some stories of how things were when they were growing up? I can easily remember my grandfather, who died when I was quite young, holding me in his lap. He gave me a gift I'll never forget. It was a very special moment between a granddaughter and a grandfather. His voice was kind and gentle – his hands were large and he reminded me of one so strong he could accomplish anything. These special moments with him were short-lived, but profound . . . so profound that now more than 50 years later I can still remember his voice, his smell, his love. He left a strong impact on my life.

These memorable moments with our children and grandchildren often linger in their memories for an entire lifetime. Whether it is from the intimacy of being held close by one they love, or whether it is the soft tone of your voice, or even just the story you tell, it makes a lasting impact on them – something that they may one day pass on to their own children and grandchildren.

Can you imagine if the stories you relate to your children and grandchildren were testimonies of God's grace and power? Can you imagine the impact that details of God's goodness would make on these small, impressionable minds? It is our heritage in the Lord that we should be declaring to our youth, whether we're a parent or a grandparent, or even a great-grandparent.

Our children's minds are an open mission field . . . ready to receive a heritage from the Lord that will stick with them throughout their lifetime – and they will in turn pass it along to their own children.

Be sure to tell your children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren of the mighty acts of God in your lifetime. Invest a small amount of time in their lives which will leave a lasting impact on them . . . one they will never forget or forsake. It will also build your own faith to recount the mighty works of God that He has wrought in your life. Don't neglect this mission field . . . impact the next generation and they will have a foundation on which to build their own faith in our awesome, holy God.

Father, please forgive me for neglecting a mission field found in the minds and memories of our youth. Lord, give me the opportunity to sit down and share with these young, impressionable little ones about Your mercy, Your goodness, Your mighty acts. Father, I do want to make an impression on them that will give them a foundation on which they will be able to build their own faith as they grow. Help me, Lord, to take this assignment seriously and to know that if I don't share with them, it is possible that no one else will. Lord, I want to praise Your works to every generation, for You have done wondrous things in my life and in the lives of my loved ones. Bless Your Holy Name Forever! Amen!

"But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations." (Psalm 102:12)

© 2008 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

In Perfect Array

Row after row, in perfect array, the rolling hills bear the earmark of honor, patriotism, and sacrifice. Honor in life. Honor in death. Unsung heroes and high ranking military officials laid to rest side by side. White stones strategically erected in perfect military order. Line after line, row after row, section after section for as far as the eye can see. Each marker at Arlington National Cemetery represents freedom. Freedom of speech. Freedom of worship. Freedom to assemble. Freedom to bear arms. Freedom to exercise unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Rights enjoyed by all Americans.

The beauty and splendor of such perfection exudes a sublime sense of holiness, as if somehow there is more than meets the eye that beholds such hallowed ground.

Order—divine order. That's what I saw. Not simply gravestones intricately spaced and precisely uprighted in uniformity, but order. As we drove through the Cemetery, I was amazed that not one headstone was skewed, not one marker misplaced, not even a weed blemishing the perfectly groomed grass on its 600+ acres. A place for everything and everything in its place, meticulously planned and organized generation after generation. The earmark of divine order.

Why would such a display move me so? I questioned this over and over again on our drive home. It was more than inspiring. The sight was more than awesome. There was a message woven through each headstone set in perfect array. But, what was the message? What was God speaking to me? What aspect of His character did He unveil?

Suddenly, it began to make sense. It was a picture of how one takes care to align his or her life perfectly to the standard of the Word of God. Each headstone is perfectly aligned. No deviation. If wind blows one out of alignment, it is immediately adjusted and realigned. What a lesson for us. What a lesson for me!

So often my own life needs alignment. Simple winds of affliction or hardship or unexpected challenge seem to knock me out of alignment. It's so easy just remain misaligned, weak, out of sync with the Standard of the Word of God, resisting the work of the "Master Aligner" to realign my life. Oh, that I would be as meticulous about my heart's alignment to the Standard as the keepers of Arlington National Cemetery are to keep every single gravestone perfectly straight.

Amos had a vision of the Lord holding a plumb line in his hand. The Lord said, "Behold I am about to put a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel." This "plumb line" was a symbol of the testing Israel's conduct. No more would the Lord tolerate Israel's use of false gods, natural hills, or pagan influences to measure their uprightness. Now, God Himself would drop the plumb line and Israel would be measured accordingly.

The Lord has put a plumb line in the midst of His people: Yeshua Himself has become our "plumb line" as our lives are to be aligned to His example of righteousness and faith. We use His example to measure our conduct. No longer will the Lord tolerate our use of false gods or pagan influences to measure our goodness or uprightness. God Himself dropped the Plumb Line in our midst and we will all be measured accordingly.

How do I measure? How do you measure? Is Yeshua your Plumb Line? Or, do you measure your life against the standard of others' lives?

The next time you see a picture of a national cemetery, take a close look at the rows and rows of white stones, in perfect array. Consider, then, how your life should be in perfect alignment to the Plumb Line we have in Yeshua.

Father, I repent. Those words simply do not convey what I feel in my heart. I have a desperate need to be realigned to the Plumb Line provided in Yeshua. Father, challenge each reader to take note of their own lives and remind them that You have dropped the Plumb Line into their midst (into OUR midst) and that we will ALL be measured accordingly. In Jesus' name, amen.

_____________
© 2008 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

Deliver a Meal

"He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep." (John 21:16)

If you go on to read the very next verse, you find Simon Peter more frustrated as once again Jesus asks him, "Do you love me?" Jesus then tells him "Feed my sheep!"

What greater gift can be given than food – life sustaining nourishment giving strength and bringing health to anyone who will eat? In fact, a great man of God spoke to me on this very subject a few days ago pointing out the necessity of ministering to the physical needs of man before they can receive spiritual nourishment.

My heart is deeply moved as I attempt to write this. In a land where devastating poverty exists, it is paralleled by spiritual poverty – one reflects the other with uncanny exactness. In Kenya, I witnessed the effects of nourishment. In small villages or communities where the Body of Christ was involved in the people's lives, ministering to them, working side by side with them, building the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, the fields were greener, the land itself appeared more nourished, and the people (although very poor according to our standards) were rich. However, in communities lacking the Bread of Life, the land was also lacking nourishment to sustain life essentially causing incomprehensible poverty.

The Bread of Life brings life to the physically and spiritually impoverished.

Jesus, when speaking with Peter, understood the relationship between spiritual and physical nourishment. His admonition to Peter to "feed My sheep" was more than merely offering a piece of bread to a hungry person, He spoke of the need to involve both the natural bread and the Bread of Life – where life sustaining nourishment which gives strength and brings health to all can be found.

We claim to love the Lord just as Peter answered, "Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee." When the Lord questions us in the same manner our immediate response is much the same: "Oh yes, Lord, you know that I love you." I declare that He then admonishes us all, "Then feed my sheep!" Don't just feed them physically – they have need of spiritual food. Don't just feed them spiritually – they have need of physical food.

Jump at every opportunity opened up to you to feed the hungry – first physically and then spiritually. If you meet the physical needs, you will have greater success ministering to the spiritual needs.

You don't need to go to Africa to find the hungry. Take a friend to lunch, take a meal to a shut-in, deliver a meal to a single mom overwhelmed with life's responsibilities. Then, give them Jesus. Show them the natural bread then introduce them to the Living Bread. Hear the passionate urgency in Jesus' voice: "Feed My Sheep!"

Father, my heart is so overwhelmed with the desperate need for daily bread – spiritually and naturally. Show me opportunities to feed Your sheep, to minister to physical needs as well as spiritual needs. Put within me a deep passion for those who are hungry; give me courage to accept this calling. Show me opportunities to reach Your sheep with Living Bread – the Bread that more than satisfies. Oh Lord, I pray for those who do not know You as the life-sustaining Bread of Life. Teach me how to reach them – teach them through my heart of compassion as I surrender once again to You all that I am and all that I do. In Jesus' name, amen and amen!

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John 6:35)

© 2008 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

Dedicated To the One I Love

"Dedicated to the one I love . . . " an old song from the past! How about today? Was it "dedicated to the One [you] love"?

So often we take our days for granted. We wake up and immediately busy ourselves about the day's business, and very often our mind is on everything BUT the "One I love"!

"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up."  (Psalm 5:3)

The Psalmist made a point of dedicating his day to the Lord . . . in the morning when he woke up, the first thing he did was to direct his prayer to the Lord! This simple act of submission and dedication helped him keep his eyes on the Lord all the day long. Obviously, it will work the same for us!

Tomorrow when you wake up . . . when you first open your eyes . . . whisper a prayer saying, "Lord, You have given me this day as a precious gift . . . I dedicate it to the One I love!"

Put Him first in your day and you will find that He's right there in your midst all the day long! Always remember, a day not dedicated to the Lord is a day dedicated to the flesh by default. The flesh will take control – the natural man will rule unless you put the Lord in His rightful place first thing when you awaken. The choice is yours . . . will your flesh rule or will the Lord rule your days? The choice is yours!

Father, I pray that my days will never again begin without first acknowledging You in them! Lord, since You are the One I love, I choose to dedicate each day to You from the very moment I awaken . . . and I look forward to being even more aware of your presence with me all the day long . . . every day! Amen!

"But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble." (Psalm 59:16)

© 2008 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

A Light Bulb Moment

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4 NIV)

The winter days were long; it seemed as cold inside as out. I felt locked inside a body that would give me no relief. Pain. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I wanted to die. My world revolved around my own disability, my personal discomfort; my life had drastically changed.

Just weeks before, I was able to cope—mother of six, women's ministry president, band booster's president, adult Sunday School teacher, executive secretary. But suddenly my world came to a sudden halt. I was locked inside a body that failed me miserably.

Weeks passed and turned to months. The calls stopped. No more visits from friends. The mailbox was empty. Once vibrantly connected to church and community, I was now forgotten … my heart was broken.

One day the phone rang; it was my best friend. Oh, how her voice blessed me! But the words she spoke in the course of our conversation were hard to swallow: "Jan, you have turned inward and your world has become all about you." Then, she quoted Philippians 2:3-4.

It was a light bulb moment.

After she prayed with me, she assured me of her love and hung up. I began to seek the Lord and He showed me how inward I had become. It was pain that drew my focus off my love affair with Him, my family, my church, and my friends. My world had become all about me and my pain. I needed to change what I had the power to change … ME! I couldn't change the pain. I couldn't change the diagnosis. I couldn't even change others' response to my pain. But I could change me.

It's easy to get caught up in our disabilities, as if life itself revolves around our inabilities. But God challenges us to look outside our problems to focus on others' needs. Even in our days of depression and pain, we can reach out to someone—reach out beyond ourselves, and impart God's love and grace to them.

Prayer: Lord, help me to look beyond my own world of pain and disability to minister to the needs of others. Teach me and empower me to reach out to be an ambassador of love, mercy, and hope to the world who needs to see and know You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

__________
© 2008 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

Note:  As a way of acknowledging "National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week," this week's devotions will be of a nature that will encourage anyone who either suffers with or knows someone who suffers with an invisible chronic illness. You are encouraged to forward this week's devotions to anyone you know who might find encouragement as they deal with the pain and emotional burden associated with invisible chronic illness.

God’s Utter Faithfulness

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions [mercies] never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Mornings are hard! Many mornings, I wake up barely able to walk to the bathroom, desperate to take my meds, sit down with a cup of coffee and wait until the pain and stiffness ease. And, every morning it's the same. No surprises, nothing new—the same routine day in and day out.

But, God has prepared something special, something specific for each new day even in the midst of our routinely difficult mornings. Mercies! Not just one mercy, but mercies. And, not the same mercies as yesterday … new mercies each and every morning.

The Lord proves His faithfulness to be great—greater than what we know. The word "great" comes from a Hebrew word meaning manifold or multiplied by myriads. In other words, God's love provides to us new mercies every morning because His faithfulness is manifold and multiplied by myriads.

It reminds me of another scripture: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…" (Ephesians 3:20). It's His exceedingly immeasurable greatness that makes new mercies available to us every day, even when we're struggling with pain of chronic illness, more than we can ask or imagine.

I'm so thankful the Lord isn't like our everyday pain and stiffness. He gives NEW mercies proving His utter faithfulness resulting from His great love. Today's mercies will not be tomorrow's mercies. Today's compassion toward us will never become routine. Each new day contains new compassions—new mercies.

Did you happen to notice any new mercies today? Look for them … be aware of and thank the Lord for each new mercy He has extended toward you from His incredibly compassionate love.

Oh Lord, teach me to find new mercies for each new day. Teach me to exalt in Your great love and compassion toward me. Thank You, Father, for the greatness of Your faithfulness toward me. Amen!

___________
© 2008 Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

Note:  As a way of acknowledging "National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week," this week's devotions will be of a nature that will encourage anyone who either suffers with or knows someone who suffers with an invisible chronic illness. You are encouraged to forward this week's devotions to anyone you know who might find encouragement as they deal with the pain and emotional burden associated with invisible chronic illness.