Our hope is God's mercy. It's like a well that never dries up. His mercies were there before he created us. They are present for us today.
In the midst of his anguish, the prophet Jeremiah preached a message of hope. He said, in his 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." (Lamentations 3:22-23)
In Psalm 52, David speaks similarly about the difference between trusting evil which brings destruction, and trusting God, which brings goodness and mercy that never comes to an end. For this reason, David said "I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever." (Psalm 52:8)
The goodness of God never comes to an end so we, like Jeremiah and David, wait for him to do good for us.
But, every day, it seems like the world closes in on us a little more. People want to take from us without giving anything back. We feel the stress of work responsibilities. We experience sickness and disease. Family conflicts consume our time and energy. Loved ones die. We struggle to make a living while others profit from our efforts. Day and night, it seems the stress, struggles, and suffering will never end. But in the midst of this anguish, there's hope.
Our hope is God's mercy. It's like a well that never dries up. His mercies were there before he created us. They are present for us today. Day and night, waking and sleeping, in sickness and health the Lord's mercies are a constant for us. The Lord's mercies never come to an end because Jesus' grip on us is unbreakable.
He who was crucified for our sin assures us that in the power of his resurrection we have constant assurance and hope that he will make all things work together for our good. In this hope we thrive, just like "a green olive tree in the house of God." (Psalm 52:8)
Jesus was crucified by evil men. On the cross, he died for our evil. He did this purely out of his goodness and mercy so that we can depend on God's goodness being continuously present in our lives. In the midst of our daily anguish, he strengthens us in faith to always look to him for the good works that preserve our lives. He is a well of mercy that never dries up. He is living water that will never kill us and is continually good for us.
The goodness and mercy of God are enough to refresh and reinvigorate us as we are assaulted by stress, struggles, and suffering. It provides relief from our daily trials and temptations. Even when Satan tempts us to think that things are good, and we don't need God, we look at the cross of Christ. No matter how good we imagine our lives are, no matter what kind of earthly pleasures Satan offers to us, they cannot compare to the goodness of God who sacrifices himself for our salvation.
While all earthly good is still a gift from the Lord, the goodness of God's Word and gifts of salvation cannot compare. Christ suffering and dying for our evil, suffering and dying to defeat sin, death, and Satan, cannot be compared to any other kind of good. The good which Christ Jesus does for us leads us to a place where sin, death, and Satan can never touch us.
So now, because Jesus is God and Savior, and he is good to us continually, we confess with Jeremiah, David, and all the saints: "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 3:22-23)
