Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

These verses of comfort and assurance are beloved by many. And well they should be.

If you have been comforted by Jeremiah’s words, have you ever been struck by the context? They are in the book of Lamentations. Webster’s dictionary defines a lamentation as an expression of sorrow, mourning, or regret. The book of Lamentations is a series of laments penned by the prophet, Jeremiah, when Jerusalem was devastated by the Babylonians. It was a horrific massacre of people and destruction of the once great city.

The immediate context of chapter three is filled with reminders, not only of the death and destruction at the hands of the Babylonian conquerors, but also that the loss was the righteous will of God in judging His people who, for the most part, had turned away from Him. God repeatedly warned the people through the prophets, but they refused to repent.

Then in the midst of the sorrows: “Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”

Two lessons: (1) Even in the midst of the most grim of sad times, our sovereign God is in control and remains compassionate. (2) May our formerly blessed nation beware, lest God, in His compassion, pulls the plug on our currently godless nation