I got a new laptop (broke the old one) and got some help transferring all my data from my old laptop onto the new one. It was an amazingly smooth and efficient transition. After the process was complete I opened my new laptop and it was like I had a brand new shiny version of the laptop that I broke. Everything was set up exactly how I liked it on this brand new device. It took a little time to do the backup and transfer, but in the long run it saved an enormous amount of time. I just had one more step to complete the process--wiping clean the old laptop. It was supposed to be a simple process. Click a couple buttons and I could sign out and give it a clean slate. However, I selected the wrong computer to wipe clean--my brand new one that I had just downloaded all my information onto. Everything I had done had just been undone. You can imagine the frustration. If only I had taken one more second to make sure I selected the correct computer I could have avoided this altogether! I longed to go back in time and start over. I could have saved my entire afternoon and a lot of headaches! The good news is that it eventually worked the way it was supposed to. When I finally started all over and transferred all the backup data again, it all worked beautifully. Eventually we got there. But in the meantime, I just wanted a restart.
Do you ever feel the need for a restart? You know, a clean slate, everything running the way it's supposed to? Maybe you wish you could have a restart to your day that got away from you. Maybe you wish you could have a restart to a conversation that got out of hand quickly. Maybe you've longed to restart and choose a different job. The feeling of regret is a powerful one. We look back and wish things had gone differently. But despite our regrets, God helps us move forward in hope.
Listen to this verse from Lamentations 3:22-23 "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 is rightly named because it captures the prayers of lament over the fall of Jerusalem. The physical center of their worship and the place where God was supposed to dwell was taken from them. They had been unfaithful and this was the result. The people wish things had gone so differently! They wish there were no suffering, no exile, no destruction of the temple and fall of their great city. There is much to regret, but God's presence helps them see a new start and a journey forward in hope. It's because of God's great love that we are not consumed by our troubles, but rather we trust in his unfailing compassions or mercies. They are new every morning! So we can sing, "Great is your faithfulness!"
God gives us the gift of the next day as a reminder that he is always with us because of his great love. His mercies are new every morning as a reminder that we have a fresh start in him. Though we may struggle and suffer now, He is our hope for today and tomorrow.
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