“Great is Thy Faithfulness” (ELW 733)
Devotion
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There are times in our lives when we feel alone. We all go through times when God seems distant and where our faith hangs by a thread. It is during the difficult times of faith that this song speaks to me. This hymn draws upon a portion of Lamentations (3.19-24) in which the writer expresses doubts, frustration and even anger at a God who seems to be absent in the midst of hardship and brokenness. And yet this small section of scripture jumps off the page amidst the reality of pain, brokenness and separation. For even in the face of brokenness and estrangement there is the promise that God's faithfulness to us never waivers: "The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall! My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him'" (3.19-24).
As I consider the gospel reading for today of the unjust judge and the persistent widow this hymn helps to remind me of the persistent God whose faithfulness to us never waivers even when our faith does.
Prayer
Thanks be to you, O God, for your amazing faithfulness. Amen.