Susan's Thursday morning note July 8, 2010
Great is Thy Faithfulness...Morning by Morning...new mercies I see!
Good morning! Windows are open, coffee is perfect, cats are settling in to sleep for the day…time to think for all of us! I saw a verse this morning that is from a favorite hymn of mine…one of the three that I remember singing to Camden as an infant, one that replays in my head when I have silence. This morning I tried to find out more on the meanings in the poem. I love the line, “morning by morning” – such hope in those three words! Such consistency. I hear the birds singing right now. The irritated little wren, and then all of the unknowns to me…“morning by morning” welcoming me into a new day. My dad would unlock the doors in the morning, open one and yell out across the field, “Good morning, world!” and then at night he would open the same door, yell out, “Good night, world!” and then lock the door. Rhythm. Life. If we keep an eternal perspective even on their death nothing changes with what is eternal…”Great is THY faithfulness, O God my father….”morning by morning” – never to change!! Regardless of what changes on this earth, if the doors stop opening & shutting in one story…the next morning comes and the cycle of life continues with us now as the parent….consistently opening the door of the morning to our children or to those we will greet this morning as we enter our day…
Great is Thy Faithfulness - poem by Thomas Chisolm (1866-1960) Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided; Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me! Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon and stars in their courses above Join with all nature in manifold witness To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! 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.
Mercy defined in Webster’s Dictionary:
1. Compassion or forbearance shown to an offender or subject; clemency or kindness extended to someone instead of strictness or severity
2. A blessing regarded as an act of divine favor or compassion
3. Relief of distress; compassion shown to victims of misfortune.
Mercy – Hebrew word “racham” defined:
* as compassion (the womb, cherishing the foetus) (Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary)
* to love, to love deeply, to have mercy, to be compassionate, to have tender affection, to have compassion – (Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexiconas)
Mercy – Hebrew word “chanan” defined:
* to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow, or to implore (Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary)
* to show favor or to be gracious (New American Standard Dictionary)
Mercy – Hebrew word “chesed” and “chasad”
* more often translated loving-kindness
* goodness or kindness; to be good or kind
Psalm 145:8-9 The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in loving-kindness. The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works.
Ephesians 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us.
James 3:13 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.
God continually shows his mercy in verses I found listed that refer to his mercy. The next two show how because we have received this continually each morning from God then we turn and show this mercy to those we meet….kindness, love deeply, have tender affection….all of “racham” above!
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Proverbs 3: 1-4 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about they neck; write them upon the table of thine heart. So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Matthew 5:7 (beatitude) Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.
Luke 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father is also merciful.
Showing kindness. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? But a decision we must mentally make each moment. To look those we see in the eye. To know they have a story that we’ll never know. That you being in their day may be what gives them their next step – because of your smile. I’ll end with a quote that is hard to get out of my mind once read….let’s make our moments today that we’ll never get back worth writing on our epitaph for today. So fast….but every morning a new chance, new mercies, opportunity to begin again in every area of our life. Thank you for letting me come into your Thursday again. Thank you for your encouragement in our business and for your friendships. Let’s go – make our day one we’ll be proud of…regardless of what our particular stories are. Susan
Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care,kindness, and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again. Og Mandino.
Latin for this week: Merces - reward, compassionate action