Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar and Nevim Arith Hayomin;

Lamentations 3:21-23: “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope, It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed.  Because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.”

Lately I have been going through many of life’s transitions, actually too many.  I sort of laid my journal aside  as these transitions did not seem compatible with my journey in search of God’s heart.  But as the dust settled, I stopped to catch my breath and when I did it felt that the night time in my life had passed and the sun had again risen.  As the sun rose it shed it lights on the wreckage that the night had brought, the changes in my health, the loss of both parents, the financial changes, job changes etc.  I sat down in despair over these unwelcome changes that came during the night time of my life and I heard a voice gently whispering my favorite verse in Lamentations 3:22-23.

I heard something in that verse I had never heard before.  I heard something in the syntax that struck me right to the core of my being.  I had always assumed it was “his mercies” that  never end.   The reason I assumed this is because I always quoted this passage from the song by Maranatha  which used the ESV and renders the Hebrew word  “racham” as “mercies.”  Not that this is wrong nor is the KJV rendering of “compassions” wrong,  but translators often use the words “love, mercies, and compassions” interchangeably  as if they all mean the same.  Maybe in English they do, but in Hebrew they do not.  The word generally used for “mercies” is “Chasad” which is the word used for that which is not consumed in this verse.  But that which is “new” every morning is “racham.”

First let me explain that this word “new” is “chadosh.”  It is closely related to the word “chodosh” which means holy, but “Chadosh” carries the meaning of “brand new.”  This is not a renewal, or a restoration, it is something that is new and different, something you have never had or experienced before and it is related to the word “Chodosh” or holy in the sense that it is separate from anything else.

This is why it is important we do not confuse the word “racham” from “Chasad” (mercies or loving kindness) or “Ahav” (love).   Racham is something that God will give us every morning, every time the sun rises either literally or metaphorically for that passing of night and day in life’s journey.

So what is “racham?”  Racham is the closest word in the Hebrew that we have for romance.   Romance is not just love, it is the way love is expressed.   Every morning God has a new and different way to express His love to us and He is faithful every day to deliver this expression of love.

You know you could probably fill Soldier’s Field (Chicago’s football stadium) with all the romantic  novels that have been written.  Each one with a little bit of a different twist in the adventure of romantic love.  There seems to be no end to the way romantic love is portrayed and God being the infinite God that He is has every day of our lives planned out to give us a new expression of His love.  It is not the same only red rose every day.  God created us to get tired of the same thing over and over.  He did this so he could enjoy creating something new, some new expression of his love each day for us. Sure He may continue to give us that “red rose” every day if we enjoy it but we will soon tire of it and we might focus so much on that red rose that we miss the new expression of His love that is given each morning.

The problem is that we do not expect something new, we expect the same old, same old. And it eventually gets old.  That worship song that used to get us to dancing has no effect anymore, that Scripture verse that would light up our hearts leaves us with the “been there done that” attitude.  We cry out to God: “What’s wrong? Why don’t you speak to me like you did before?”    All the time God is saying: “I do speak to you, but only in a slightly different way.  I am speaking to you in a new way and a fresh why.  Everyday  of  your life I am telling you in a new and different way that I love you.”

So back to this particular morning when the sun rose on my life and I sought for the presence of God and His love.  I cried out to Him and he gave me Lamentations 3:21-23 and suggested I try something new.  I looked on my wall and I saw a picture of Jesus giving a hug to a young man.   I told the Lord, “Well, I could sure use a hug from you.”   Instantly I experience a hug from Jesus that I never felt before.  I liked it so much that every morning before I go to work I step through my little portal and get my morning hug from God and then I go out and try to find what new way He has created to show me His love.  Perhaps one day that hug will get old, when it does, I will let it go and just pick up on something “new.”