Tomorrow Is a New Morning
God's Mercy Hasn't Run Out
Have you ever had one of those days when you just wanted it to be over?
You woke up late.
Things didn't go well at school.
You said something you wish you hadn't.
Maybe you got into an argument with someone.
Made a mistake.
Failed at something you thought you could do.
Or just felt discouraged about how things were going.
And by the time you finally climbed into bed, you were exhausted.
Not necessarily because you'd done anything physically difficult.
But because you were tired of the day.
Tired of thinking about what had happened.
Tired of wishing you'd handled things differently.
Tired of feeling disappointed.
Sometimes when you have a day like that, there's something wonderful about finally turning out the lights.
Closing your eyes.
And knowing that tomorrow is coming.
A new morning.
Another opportunity.
A fresh start.
I've always loved that about the way God organized our world.
Life comes to us one day at a time.
The sun rises.
We live the day.
Eventually the sun sets.
And then, after a period of darkness, morning comes again.
Now, I don't know that God created days specifically to teach us about second chances.
But I do think there's a beautiful lesson in them.
Yesterday doesn't have to become the permanent definition of tomorrow.
There's an extraordinary scripture in Lamentations that teaches something very similar.
But to really appreciate it, we need to understand where it comes from.
The book of Lamentations was written in the aftermath of one of the most devastating experiences in the history of God's covenant people.
Jerusalem had been destroyed.
The temple had been burned.
Families had suffered terrible losses.
Many had been killed or carried away.
The city that had once been filled with people now sat devastated.
The opening verse of Lamentations describes Jerusalem as a city sitting alone (Lamentations 1:1).
Imagine what that must have felt like.
The familiar streets.
The homes.
The places where people had worshipped.
The places where children had played.
So much of what had once felt permanent was gone.
And this wasn't simply a difficult day that everyone could forget about tomorrow.
The people were living with consequences that would affect them for years.
Lamentations doesn't pretend otherwise.
In chapter 3, the writer describes such overwhelming sorrow that he says:
“My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord.”
—Lamentations 3:18
Have you ever felt anything like that?
Maybe not because an entire city was destroyed.
But perhaps because something happened that left you wondering whether things would ever be okay again.
A friendship ended.
Your family went through something painful.
You made a choice you deeply regretted.
Someone hurt you.
You lost something important.
You began struggling with something you thought you would have overcome by now.
And hope seemed a long way away.
But then something remarkable happens in Lamentations.
Just three verses after expressing that feeling of hopelessness, the writer says:
“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.”
—Lamentations 3:21
What changed?
Was Jerusalem suddenly rebuilt?
No.
Had every painful consequence disappeared?
No.
Had everything returned to the way it used to be?
Not even close.
So what did the writer remember?
Listen to the next two verses:
“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.”
—Lamentations 3:22–23
I love those words.
“His compassions fail not.”
God hadn't stopped loving His people.
His compassion hadn't disappeared because they were suffering.
His faithfulness hadn't ended.
And even in the midst of destruction, there was still reason to hope.
“They are new every morning.”
Think about what that means for you.
You may have made mistakes yesterday.
You may have fallen short.
You may have disappointed yourself.
You may be struggling with something that hasn't gotten better yet.
But God's compassion hasn't run out.
You don't wake up tomorrow to discover that you've used up all your opportunities to turn toward Him.
His mercy is still there.
His love is still there.
His power to help you repent, change, heal, and move forward is still there.
And that reminds me of a story I once shared on my podcast The Drive.
It was about a 16-year-old girl named Sandra.
Sandra was enrolled in some difficult classes at school, but things weren't going well.
She wasn't completing her assignments.
Her grades were falling.
And her teachers had become increasingly concerned that she might not be able to recover.
Eventually, they arranged a meeting with Sandra, her father, and several teachers.
Imagine sitting in that room.
One teacher begins describing all the assignments you haven't completed.
Another talks about your failing grades.
You know you've made mistakes.
You already feel terrible.
And now everyone is discussing how far behind you've fallen.
As the meeting continued, Sandra lowered her head.
She began to cry.
Her teachers wondered whether it might already be too late.
Then her father spoke.
And what he said was beautiful.
Instead of reminding his daughter of everything she'd done wrong, he looked at her and said:
“It's not too late. It's not too late for you to succeed. It really is not too late.”
I love that.
Sandra still had work to do.
She couldn't simply ignore the assignments she'd missed.
Some things would have to change.
But her father wanted her to understand something important.
Her past mistakes didn't have to determine her future.
And Sandra began again.
She made changes.
She worked to improve.
And gradually, her efforts began making a difference.
That story reminds me of the mercy Heavenly Father offers us through Jesus Christ.
Sometimes we look at our mistakes and begin thinking:
I've already messed up too badly.
I've tried to change before and failed.
I've fallen too far behind.
Maybe this is just who I am.
But the Savior invites us to look at our future differently.
It's not too late to turn toward Jesus Christ.
That doesn't mean repentance is always quick or easy.
Sometimes we have real consequences to face.
Sometimes we need to rebuild trust.
Sometimes healing takes a long time.
But Jesus Christ makes change possible.
And there is another remarkable story in this week's study that illustrates the same kind of hope.
It's found in Jeremiah 32.
Jerusalem is surrounded by the Babylonian army.
The city is in serious trouble.
Jeremiah has been imprisoned.
And the future looks anything but promising.
Then the Lord tells Jeremiah to do something that must have seemed very strange.
He is to purchase a field.
Yes.
Buy property.
While an invading army is surrounding the city.
Think about that for a moment.
Imagine someone trying to sell you a piece of land in a place that is about to be taken over by an enemy army.
You might have a few questions.
Like:
Why would I buy property here?
What am I supposed to do with it?
Will I ever even be able to use it?
But Jeremiah follows the Lord's instructions.
He purchases the field.
He has the documents properly prepared and preserved.
And the Lord explains why.
One day, fields and houses and vineyards will again be possessed in the land (Jeremiah 32:15, 42–44).
The purchase becomes a witness of God's promise that destruction will not be the end of His people's story.
I love the image that creates.
Everything around Jeremiah seemed to suggest that the future was hopeless.
But Jeremiah trusted what God had promised.
Jeremiah invested in a future he couldn't yet see because he trusted the God who could.
Sometimes we need that kind of faith.
When you've made a mistake, repentance is an investment in a better future.
When you've been hurt, choosing not to let bitterness control your heart is an investment in your future.
When you're discouraged, continuing to pray, learn, and take small steps forward can be an expression of faith in what Christ can still do.
You may not be able to see the whole picture yet.
Jeremiah couldn't see the restored fields and vineyards when he purchased the property.
But he trusted the Lord's promises.
And that brings us to one of my favorite questions in this week's scriptures.
Earlier in Jeremiah 32, Jeremiah prayed:
“Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.”
—Jeremiah 32:17
Later, the Lord responded:
“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?”
—Jeremiah 32:27
What an incredible question.
Imagine having those words written somewhere you could see them when life became difficult.
“Is there any thing too hard for me?”
When you're struggling with something that feels impossible.
When you're afraid you can't change.
When you've made mistakes and wonder whether forgiveness is possible.
When you're discouraged about the future.
Remember who's asking the question.
The God who created heaven and earth.
The God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
The God who knows you, loves you, and has provided a Savior who can redeem you.
That doesn't mean every difficulty will disappear tomorrow.
Or that every situation will turn out exactly the way you hoped.
But it does mean that God's power is greater than the limits you sometimes place on your future.
Through Jesus Christ, repentance is possible.
Forgiveness is possible.
Growth is possible.
Healing is possible.
And even resurrection is possible.
That's why Lamentations can speak of hope in the middle of destruction.
And why tomorrow morning can mean so much.
Not simply because another day has arrived.
But because the Savior whose mercies never fail is still there to meet you in it.
Scripture
“My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord.”
—Lamentations 3:18
“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.”
—Lamentations 3:21
“His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
—Lamentations 3:22–23
“There is nothing too hard for thee.”
—Jeremiah 32:17
“Is there any thing too hard for me?”
—Jeremiah 32:27
“Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.”
—Lamentations 3:40
Reflection
Why do you think Lamentations teaches about God's mercy in the middle of so much suffering?
What changes between Lamentations 3:18 and 3:21–23?
What does the phrase “new every morning” mean to you personally?
Have you ever allowed a mistake or disappointing experience to make you believe something negative about your future?
Why can it be difficult to believe that we can change?
What does Jeremiah's purchase of a field teach you about faith in God's promises?
What is one situation in your life that you need to remember when you read the Lord's question, “Is there any thing too hard for me?”
Today's Challenge
Tomorrow morning, before you get distracted by your phone, school, or everything you need to do, take a minute to remember this scripture:
“His compassions fail not. They are new every morning.”
—Lamentations 3:22–23
Then do three things.
1. Leave yesterday where it belongs.
Think about something from yesterday that you need to learn from, repent of, forgive, or stop allowing to define you.
If an apology or another step of repentance is needed, make a plan to take it.
2. Look forward with faith.
Choose one small thing you can do today that will help you become the person you want to be.
Don't worry about fixing your entire life.
Just take the next faithful step.
3. Invite the Savior into your day.
Pray for His help.
Ask for the strength, wisdom, patience, or courage you need.
And remember that you're not expected to become everything God wants you to become through your own power alone.
Try doing this for seven mornings.
At the end of the week, look back and consider whether beginning each day with the Lord has changed the way you've approached your difficulties.
Christ-Centered Thought
I want you to think about one particular morning in the history of the world.
A few days earlier, Jesus Christ had been crucified.
His disciples had watched the Savior suffer and die.
The One they loved and believed in had been placed in a tomb.
A stone had been rolled across the entrance.
Try to imagine what those days must have felt like.
The sorrow.
The confusion.
The fear.
The sense that everything they had hoped for might somehow be over.
Then Sunday morning came.
Women went to the tomb.
And discovered that the stone had been rolled away.
The Savior was no longer there.
Angels declared:
“He is not here: for he is risen.”
—Matthew 28:6
Think about how dramatically that morning changed everything.
What had appeared to be the end was not the end at all.
Jesus Christ had overcome death.
And because He did, the future of every person who has ever lived was changed forever.
The Resurrection is the greatest witness that God's power extends beyond what we can presently see.
And it gives new meaning to the promise in Lamentations.
“His compassions fail not. They are new every morning.”
Maybe yesterday was difficult.
Maybe you made mistakes.
Maybe you're facing something that isn't going to disappear quickly.
Maybe you cannot yet see how things are going to work out.
But you can know this:
Jesus Christ lives.
His mercy is real.
His power to redeem and lift you is real.
And whatever yesterday held, He can help you face tomorrow.
So when the sun comes up, remember the Savior.
Remember the empty tomb.
Remember Jeremiah's field.
And remember the question God asked:
“Is there any thing too hard for me?”
Then get up.
Turn toward Him.
And begin again.
Because of Jesus Christ, yesterday doesn't have to determine tomorrow.
His mercies are new every morning.
For more weekly devotionals and complete Come Follow Me resources designed specifically for teens, visit:
