The 20 Verses You Love Most: #20 Unfailing Mercy

After tallying nearly 1,000 of your favorite verses, we have a Top 20 list that may surprise you. It includes 11 verses from the Old Testament, and 9 from the New, with 4 verses from a certain OT book (not Psalms), and another 4 from a particular NT book (not John).

By summer’s end we’ll reach your # 1 choice, at which point I’ll gladly post them all. This week, we’ll consider # 20, which often stretches in both directions to capture an even bigger picture:

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; 
great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:21-23

It’s the middle one, verse 22, that you loved most: the Source of our hope, the Source of our strength, all wrapped up in “God’s loyal love” (MSG).

Among last week’s comments, our sister, Jodie, shared what this passage has meant to her:

“During the most challenging season in our faith, as I battled in prayer for my husband’s life to be spared and for our 3 little boys to be able to grow up with their daddy, I clung to Lamentations 3:22-23. His love was unfailing in its grip on us, His mercies were literally new every. single. morning. as my husband experienced the Healer’s touch over the 16 days he was in a coma and the 16 more that it took to leave the hospital, and His faithfulness was {and is} GREAT as He continues to use that difficult season for HIS glory and our good!!”

Such a testimony to God’s faithfulness. Let’s unpack this week’s verse and discover what Jodie already knows.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail. Lamentations 3:22

Because of…

Why do we have hope? “It is because of” (NLV) God and it is “through” (NKJV) God. We can’t survive apart from him. We might breathe, eat, sleep, work, but we can’t live without him.

Those of us who have tried and failed know it is only because of God that we’re still here. And “it is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus…” (1 Corinthians 1:30).

With God, why and who lead to the same answer.

…the Lord’s…

It s “Jehovah’s” (ASV), yet he is willing to share it with us. It’s “God’s” (VOICE), yet he generously gives it away. It’s the one thing we need, yet can’t bring ourselves to ask for. It’s the free gift “of Adonai” (CJB), yet bought with a price.

What is it? You know.

…great love…

The beautiful Hebrew word hesed is also translated “lovingkindnesses” (ASV), “faithful love” (CEB), “steadfast love” (ESV), “unfailing love” (GNT).

We use the word love so freely. We love our cars, our pets, a funny video we saw on YouTube.

Hesed is another kind of love altogether. It’s how God defines and demonstrates love to his people.

When he faithfully blesses those who’ve done nothing to deserve it, that’s hesed. When he fulfills a promise that costs him dearly, that’s hesed. When his Son hung on the cross for our sins, that was hesed in its fullest expression.

How wide and long and high and deep are “the kindnesses of Jehovah!” (YLT)

…we…

I know, silly to pause for such a little word, especially when it’s always translated the same way. Just we. Still, it’s worth asking who we might be.

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,…” (John 3:36). That’s we. The ones who have faith in Jesus. The ones on whom God is merciful. John’s words continue, “…but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them” (John 3:36).

Oh dear. We didn’t choose any favorite verses about God’s wrath, though there are 180+ mentions of it in Scripture. We’d much rather hear about God’s lovingkindness, his hesed—and I’d much rather write about it too!

So, it seems, would God, especially when he is speaking to his people. This series of hope-filled verses are included in the book of Lamentations, which mourns the destruction of the first Holy Temple and the exile of the Jewish nation. In the midst of grief, God’s love prevails. In the midst of sorrow, joy.

For we who trust in the mercy of God, he offers good news.

…are not consumed,…

There’s something almost frightening about the word consumed. Like a great monster grinding us between its teeth. Without God’s love, we would be “wiped out” (GW), “completely destroyed” (NIRV), “extinguished” (KNOX).

But we are not consumed, God’s Word assures us. We are “still alive” (ERV).

…for…

We’ve come full circle, back to “because” (ASV). To why. To who. To God, most “certainly” (CEB).

Could the whole of the Bible be summed up in the words, God’s love?

…his compassions…

They are plural, multiple. Not a one time thing, but an endless outpouring, for which I am beyond grateful.

Every time I go to the Lord, begging his forgiveness for the same failings, the same stupidities, the same sins. I almost hold my breath, fearing he might whisper, Enough, Liz. I don’t want to hear it.

But that’s not what he says. Not the God of hesed. “His mercies” (ESV), “his commiserations” (DRA), “his merciful doings” (WYC) flow over me like living water. Flow over you, beloved. Flow over us, over we.

God saved the best, the most encouraging words for last.

…never fail.

Those mercies, that fountain of grace, will “never stop” (NCV), “never end” (NET), “never cease” (NLT). Never is a word that leaves no room for discussion. No room for fear either. God’s lovingkindness is “never limited” (GW) and he is “never weary” (KNOX).

God keeps reminding us of this, hoping we will finally grasp it: “Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8).

This day, this morning, when his mercies are new once again, may this truth wash over you afresh: you are loved.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail. Lamentations 3:22

Now it’s your turn

If you’ve ever clung to the truth of this verse during a time when you sorely needed God’s compassion, perhaps you might share what you learned through the process. Simply add your thoughts under Post a Comment at the bottom…and bless you for doing so.

Next week, we move to the New Testament for # 19. It’s a red-letter verse, a question posed by Jesus. Please join us. And bring a friend.

Your sister, Liz