“His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23,
It’s one of the saddest stories of the Bible, yet it inspired one of the most hopeful hymns of the twentieth century.
The prophet Jeremiah witnessed unimaginable horrors when the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem in 586 BC. Solomon’s temple was reduced to ruins, and with it went not only the center of worship but also the heart of the community. The people were left with no food, no rest, no peace, no leader.
But in the midst of suffering and grief, one of their prophets found a reason for hope. “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,” wrote Jeremiah, “because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
Jeremiah’s hope came from his personal experience of the Lord’s faithfulness and from his knowledge of God’s promises in the past. Without these, he would have been unable to comfort his people.
This hope of Lamentations 3 is echoed in a hymn by Thomas Chisholm (1866-1960). Although suffering sickness and setbacks throughout his life, he wrote “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” It assures us that even in times of great fear, tragic loss, and intense suffering we can find comfort and confidence as we trust in God’s great faithfulness.
God 