The end of the year is quickly approaching, and the focus on the minds of most people is increasingly how to make next year a better year than this year. My wife and I have already had several conversations about this very topic as 2015 draws near.

With the dawn of a new year, it seems like an appropriate time to make a fresh start, a new beginning. The beginning of a new year is the logical time to do this. I seek to reevaluate myself and the passing year every December, identifying goals and strategies that I want to have in place for the coming months.

Each year in December, I take a deep an hard look at my Life Plan. I examine my successes. I identify my weaknesses. I see what needs to change, what needs to be prioritized, or re-prioritized, and chart out my course for the coming year.

My wife and I look at the new year for our family. What can we do together to make our family stronger? What can we eliminate from our lives to make our family less busy and stressed, and strengthen ourselves?

Many people set goals and New Year’s Resolutions. Others start a new fitness program, or a new Bible Reading program, or a new focus on relationships.

We really make an effort at making the most of a new year.

But God’s word to us doesn’t focus on things year by year. That is certainly a logical time to examine ourselves. But the Bible tells us something very interesting and encouraging. It’s found tucked away in what many people find a very discouraging book. In fact, it is a lament, and the very name shows that. But look what Jeremiah wrote in Lamentations 3:22-23:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Tucked away in this heartbreaking cry out to God is a golden nugget of truth. Hidden in this short and rarely read book is a spark of encouragement.

The book of Lamentations is generally attributed to Jeremiah, and is a series of complaints against God, and a plea for help. However, biblical laments also often contain a declaration of trust in God. These five chapters were written shortly after the fall of Jerusalem, and hopelessness pervades the people of Israel. But in the midst of that hopelessness, the author reasserts his faith in God’s goodness and steadfast love. He declares that he will trust God in spite of what circumstances may surround the nation.

That is the glimpse of hope that we see in these verses. God’s love and compassion and faithfulness are eternal, and are as certain as the sunrise.

Even though we take a new look at our lives annually, God reflects on the nature of our lives daily. We establish our plans for the coming year, but God reminds us here that life occurs daily, and that he is in the middle of it with us.

Question: What reminders do you need of God’s steadfast love and mercies on a daily basis? You can leave a comment by clicking here.