Great is Thy Faithfulness

Lamentations 3

This Sunday is Jubilate Sunday. Jubilate is about rejoicing before God. However, today we will continue our meditation of the book of Lamentations. We do not always need to think in an either-or paradigm, as if being joyful means there should be no sorrow at all, or being sorrowful means there should be no joy at all. The title of today’s sermon is Great Is Thy Faithfulness. It is one of the most beautiful verses in the Bible, yet it is found in the book of Lamentations instead of in the Psalms of praise or thanksgiving.

Some commentators have said that chapter 3 is the theological of the book of Lamentations. When we read verses 22-23, it is quite convincing that these are the climax of the book. However, does that mean the following chapters 4 and 5 are the anti-climax? I believe it is a misunderstanding to assume that every struggle must conclude with such a climactic declaration: “Great is Thy faithfulness. " I think we are wrong if we say that, because this verse expresses the theological heart of the book, we should stop here and add nothing more.

The beauty of this chapter lies in its realistic depiction of human suffering. In other verses, we read that the writer, Jeremiah, had lost all hope. Yet in verse 22, we see that there is still hope. This is a picture of the Christian life. We should not misunderstand this as the depiction of a schizophrenic person, someone who, on one hand, says he has lost all hope, and on the other, says “Great is Thy faithfulness. " Once again, we need to avoid a polarized theology that thinks only in either-or categories: that when we suffer, there should be no hope, or that when we are full of faith and hope in God, there should be no sorrow. The Bible does not present it that way. What we see here is that, even in the midst of suffering, Jeremiah can still see a glimpse of hope, and that hope does not come from within himself, but from God.

We see here a kind of dialectical tension in human life. As an illustration, there are artistic techniques that express this same tension. During the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci used a technique called sfumato, as seen in the painting of Mona Lisa. On one hand, we see a woman who appears confident looking into the future. On the other hand, the depiction of her lips suggests that there is a trace of anxiety. Likewise, in music, we hear this tension in Mozart’s Symphony No. 40. While its fast tempo gives a cheerful impression, a deeper analysis reveals motifs of lamentation. We hear the same in Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 8, composed after the death of his mother, and in Bach’s Johannes-Passion. Thus we can see that even in cheerfulness, there can be lamentation.

The point to highlight here is that we misunderstand if we think in a polarized either-or way, such as believing that in sorrow there should be no comfort, or that in joy there should be no mention of difficulty. Yet we often think in this manner. We can ask ourselves: when do we usually sing the hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness? Have we ever sung it at a funeral service? It is more common to sing it during joyful occasions, such as birthday celebrations. But if we look at the original context, this declaration was made when Jerusalem was in ruins, not after it had been rebuilt. To be able to sing this when everything is still in ruin, that is the kind of hope that comes from God.

If we can only sing this hymn during joyful occasions, then perhaps we do not yet fully understand the faithfulness of God. When we sing it after completing a thesis or after we graduate from school, it is quite understandable. But it takes on a different dimension when we sing it during sickness or misfortune. This is why chapter 3 can be considered the theological heart of Lamentations, not only because of the beautiful verses 22-23, but also because the surrounding verses present a clear depiction of the character of God that we believed. And this confession appears in the midst of a people who have no hope.

We have previously discussed the Hebrew word khesed. It is commonly translated into English as ‘steadfast love’ , and sometimes as ‘covenantal mercies’ , because it refers to God’s faithful love within His covenant relationship with Israel. Though Israel is not always faithful to God, if they are willing to repent and return to Him, God will restore the relationship. This restoration, on God’s part, has no end. As we read in verses 22-23a: “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. " This means that God’s mercies are always present. There is never a morning when His mercies are no longer available.

However, we should not forget that this is always related to repentance. God continually invites His people to come and repent, and when they do, the covenantal relationship is restored. Even the day of the LORD, the day of judgment, does not put an end to God’s forgiveness. If we reflect and contrast this to our lives, we are often easily disappointed and tend to break relationships when things do not go according to our expectations. Our mercies are very limited. It is easier for us to judge than to show mercy. Yet someone who grows in God will also grow in mercy, while those who do not grow will more easily show judgement.

There is a very clear expression of God’s character in this chapter, namely His steadfast love and His mercies. And it is this knowledge of God’s character that brings comfort to Jeremiah. What comforts him is not the belief that his condition will soon change. We can reflect on our own lives: when we are sick, what is our comfort? Perhaps it is the thought that the sickness is only temporary and that we will recover soon. Or perhaps it is the hope that, although we are facing difficulties now, things will improve in the future. We often associate comfort with the change in our circumstances. But this was not the case for Jeremiah. This is not Christianity. If our comfort is based on the change in circumstances, then we do not need Jesus Christ, because other religions can offer that same kind of hope as well.

True Christianity is about the knowledge of God. Jeremiah knew the God whose love never ceases and whose mercies never come to an end. If, in our journey of life, we do not come to know God more deeply, then we are not growing. Perhaps our circumstances are better compared to the past, but this can happen without Christianity. Other religions can also offer that. What is the point if our circumstances are better, but we do not know God more? Once again, we see that Jeremiah was comforted by the knowledge of God. Jerusalem was still in ruins when he sang this. And not only that, there are still songs of Lamentations in the following chapters 4-5. Therefore, the expression “Great is Thy faithfulness” is certainly not a cliché.

Sometimes we use beautiful theological expressions that sound pleasing to the ear but are actually clichés. For example, we often say, “God is good. " Of course, God is good. It is a correct statement. I once heard a testimony from someone who narrowly avoided boarding a plane that later got into an accident. He said, “God is good. " But what about those who died in the accident? Is God not good to the families of the victims? Such person thinks that life is all about himself. Just like the Sunday school song, “God is so good, He’s so good to me. " There is certainly a phase in our spiritual life when we come to know the goodness of God “to me” . Thus the song is appropriate for the Sunday school children. However, if we have followed God for many years and our understanding of His goodness remains limited only on what He has done for us personally, then something is lacking. Our knowledge of God becomes a cliché because we have not yet understood its depth. What Jeremiah said is certainly not shallow, because this was spoken in the midst of the ruins of Jerusalem.

In the midst of this hopeless situation, Jeremiah said, “His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. " We must also understand what the word ’new’ means here. It does not mean that the mercies were not there before or had never been experienced. Rather, it means that they are continually refreshing. In contrast, our fallen world craves for everything to be new, as the old is seen as boring and already exhausted. But the mercies and steadfast love of God are inexhaustible, and they are new every morning. When we fail and return to God, He always offers new mercies. Can we also live this out in our lives? If someone fails us, are we willing to offer them the chance to start anew, again and again? Or do we say, “This is your last chance, and if you fail again, it is over”? God is not like that. His mercies are new every morning.

We hope that our encounter with God is not boring. If we feel bored when we go to church, perhaps we are not truly meeting God there. We meet other people and complain that they are always the same, that they keep making the same mistakes. We may ask why they do not change. But the real question is why do we not love them more deeply, so that we may have new perspectives on them? It is not fair to demand that others grow while our own love and patience do not. When we receive God’s mercies, even our encounters with others and our fellow sinners can be renewed. We receive not only the grace to forgive others, but also the grace that forgives us and helps us grow in maturity. And these mercies are something that will never come to an end; they are new every morning.

Hopefully, our knowledge of God will also never come to an end. The Bible we read is always the same, but that does not mean it cannot bring new refreshment to us every day. The more we love God, the more we worship Him, the more we dedicate our lives to Him, and the more we place our hope in Him, just as Jeremiah did, the more we can truly say, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (T.F.L)