New and Certain 新事物
Dexu Xia
His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Lamentations 3:22-23
For three years, apart from household necessities, Susan didn’t buy anything for herself. The Covid-19 pandemic affected my friend’s income, and she embraced a simple lifestyle. “One day, while cleaning my apartment, I noticed how shabby and faded my things looked,” she shared. “That’s when I started to miss having new things—the sense of freshness and excitement. My surroundings seemed tired and stale. I felt as if there was nothing to look forward to.”
Susan found encouragement in an unlikely book in the Bible. Written by Jeremiah after Jerusalem fell to Babylon, Lamentations describes the open wound of grief suffered by the prophet and the people. In the midst of grief’s despair, however, lies sure ground for hope─God’s love. "His compassions never fail,” Jeremiah wrote. “They are new every morning” (3:22-23).
Susan was reminded that God’s deep love relentlessly breaks through anew each day. When circumstances make us feel there’s no longer anything to look forward to, we can call to mind His faithfulness and look forward to how He’ll provide for us. We can confidently hope in God, knowing our hoping is never in vain (vv. 24-25) because it’s secured in His steadfast love and compassion.
“God’s love is my ‘something new’ each day,” Susan says. “I can look ahead with hope.”
By: Karen Huang
When have you felt unable to see any hope in your situation? How does the promise of God’s love as “new every morning” give you hope?
Thank You, dear God, because each day brings with it Your certain, steadfast love.
祂的怜悯不致断绝。每早晨这都是新的。—耶利米哀歌3章22-23节
有三年之久，我朋友苏珊除了日常生活用品外，没有给自己买过任何东西。新冠肺炎疫情造成她的收入锐减，使她必须过简朴的生活。她说：“有一天我在打扫家里时，发觉家里的东西看起来又破旧又褪色。使我不禁开始怀念拥有新事物时，所带来的那种既新鲜又兴奋的感受。如今身边的一切如此陈旧黯淡，让我觉得生活好像没什么值得期待。”
后来，苏珊读了耶利米哀歌，却意想不到地得到了安慰。巴比伦攻占耶路撒冷后，先知耶利米写下耶利米哀歌，描述自己与百姓遭受撕心裂肺的创伤。然而在悲恸绝望中，却蕴藏真实的盼望，那就是上帝的爱。耶利米写道：“祂的怜悯不致断绝。每早晨这都是新的。”（3章22-23节）
这段经文提醒了苏珊，上帝深切的爱能使她天天突破现况、开启新的篇章。当身处的环境让我们觉得无可期待时，我们可以回想上帝的信实，并期盼祂的供应。我们可以满怀信心地仰望上帝，知道我们的盼望必不落空（24-25节），因为我们所信的是满有慈爱与怜悯的上帝。
苏珊说：“上帝的爱就是我每天的‘新事物’，使我对未来有了盼望。”作者： 黃嘉仁
你何时曾感到在自己的处境中看不到任何希望？上帝应许祂的爱
“每早晨这都是新的”如何带给你盼望？
亲爱的上帝，感谢祢，因为伴随每一天而来的，是祢不变的慈爱