Great is His Faithfulness

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.

The LORD is my portion, saith my soul;

 therefore will I hope in him.

The LORD is good unto them that wait for him,

to the soul that seeketh him.

It is good that a man should both hope

 and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD (Lamentations 3:22-26).

What lovely verses, full of hope, confidence, and dependence in God! When we read them, many times out of context, we forget that these beautiful statements of trust in the Lord follow on the heels of suffering and deep despair. Read a few verses before these:
I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes. And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity. And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD: Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
(verses 14-19)

I confess. Lamentations isn’t my favorite book of the Bible. (I prefer happier books like Psalms and Philippians.) In Lamentations, Jeremiah writes extensively of despair, the people’s suffering, and judgment—all brought on because they didn’t heed God’s warnings.

But God, in this important book in His Word, teaches us the right response to pain and suffering:

            Meditate on the truths we know about God.

            Rejoice in His provision.

            Realize we need nothing else but Him.

            Look for and wait for the “blessed hope” of eternity with the Lord.

In our darkest moments, we would do well to do the same.

O My God

I was reading my Bible and came across the phrase “O my God.” This phrase is used as part of a prayer in Psalm 103:24: I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.

I decided I’d look up “O my God” in a concordance. It’s used 21 times in the Bible, and EVERY reference is a prayer. The person might be asking God for deliverance, or for God to remember him (or a group of people). The praying person might be calling out to God in anguish. He sometimes makes a declaration of trust, purpose, or praise to God. Always, the phrase “O my God” is used as an expression of fervent prayer.

No matter where you live in the world, this phrase is misused. It can be an expression of catastrophe or a simple exclamation. People who believe in a different god say it. People who don’t believe in God say it. People who are Christians say it—outside the context of prayer. It has become a customary phrase, and the misuse has cheapened its meaning.

Here are some examples that rightly use the phrase, “O my God:”

            Nehemiah 13:31b, Remember me, O my God, for good.

            Psalm 25:2, O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine 
                 enemies triumph over me.

            Psalm 71:12, O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.

            Daniel 9:19, O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for 

                 thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.

These verses help us see the best context, the biblical use of “O my God,” which is prayer.

The third of the Ten Commandments says: Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain (Exodus 20:7).

When we speak God’s name, we would be wise to consider how we use it.

            Are we praying?

            Are we sharing our faith?

            Are we praising Him?

            Are we teaching others about our great God?

I delight to do thy will, O my God:

 yea, thy law is within my heart (Psalm 40:8).