Strength for Today, Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Many are pretty, if not very, familiar with the lyrics of the hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness, and have sung with great joy the heartfelt words:
                       
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.
These words, I believe, truly come from the heart of Thomas Chisholm, who directs our thoughts to a portion of Scripture that meant much to him, Lamentations 3, which is where he received inspiration from.

                       
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!
If we filled in the blank:  "His _______ are new every morning," most would say, "His mercies." But if we take a closer look at Lamentations 3, we find that it is God's compassions that fail not and are new every morning. This is a significant truth to bring with us into each new month, and even each new day as we are greeted by G-d's brand new day which He brings us into.

In the Hebrew language, the word "compassion" carries the idea of "tender love" or "to cherish." It is like "a mother's womb," where one is safe and protected. God, in His compassion, forgives and protects us daily. The hymn-writer understood this as he wrote the words to the final stanza:

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!
"No matter how strained a relationship {with Christ} might be, if it is approached with mercy and compassion, we will indeed find strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow." -Mark Hamby

Fresh Joys Photography- The Sunset's Painting