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. ~Lamentations 3:22-23 (KJV)
Whenever I autograph a book, I include a Scripture reference. I try to come up with one that somehow matches the book, either the title or something in the book. For my Hidden Spring mystery, Murder at the Courthouse, that Scripture reference is Lamentations 3:22-23. If you’ve ever sung or heard the song “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” you will see where the inspiration came for that song. It’s a beautiful song and a powerful verse to remember. The words include the mercy of the Lord and His compassions. With the dawning of each day we can look toward the Lord with the assurance of new blessings and mercy.
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. ~Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV)
My Hidden Springs mysteries don’t have as evident a faith thread as my historical novels, but in Murder at the Courthouse, there is one place where Michael’s Aunt Lindy takes over the viewpoint and remembers the time after Michael’s wreck when he was a teen. With prayer and determination, she pulled him away from the darkness that threatened to engulf him forever. She leaned on the promise in these verses during that time.
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. ~Lamentations 3:22-23 (NKJ)
In this brief scene from the first Hidden Springs mystery, Murder at the Courthouse, she has just had the misfortune of seeing and hearing Miss Willadean, the town gossip who discovered the body on the courthouse steps, when they were both at the local bank.
“I almost witnessed the murder, you know,” Willadean said. “In fact, I do think I may have seen someone running around the corner of the courthouse. I could have been shot myself.” Willadean placed her hand flat on her chest.
“There, there, Miss Willadean.” Aileen had patted the woman’s arm. “You’re all right now.”
“I am now, but for how much longer? A killer is on the loose in Hidden Springs and nobody is doing anything about it. Not one thing!” Willadean had peered over at Malinda then. “The police in this town don’t seem to care if we are all murdered in our beds.”
May the Lord forgive her, Malinda wanted to smack Willadean. Twice. Let her turn the other cheek and she would smack it too. But she managed to simply smile and turn away. Three of her students were at the teller windows. What would they think if she let her temper get the best of her?
What would the Lord think of her?
She sank down in the rocking chair and picked up the old Bible from the table beside her. Eva’s Bible. All through it, verses were underlined and notations made in the margins of when James preached from this or that passage. Malinda had carried this Bible with her to the hospital after the wreck. A way of taking Eva into the room with her beloved son.
The Bible fell open to the verses from Lamentations 3 that became Malinda’s hope and prayer as she fought death for Michael anew each morning. She smoothed her hand across the page. Great is thy faithfulness.
She would continue to hope and pray each morning for Michael. And for Anthony and all her students. And yes, Lord, even for Willadean Dearmon.
That Hidden Springs mystery is on e-book sale right now for a little longer. You can check it out at Amazon or Christianbook.com or other e-book sellers. Always double check the price before you download to be sure you get the price you expect.
While the verses do fit my story very well, they also fit our time right now as we near the end of 2020, a year that has been far from the best. But even in a year such as this has been, blessings have continued to rain down on us. We’ve had sunshine and rain. New babies came into the world. Young couples fell in love and got married. Friends comforted one another in times of sorrow, and we embraced joy as we celebrated the birth of Jesus. Each day there were new mercies, new blessings. I hope we can continue to seek out the good in the year to come as we pray for our country, our churches, and each other.
The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end, For His compassions do not fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. ~Lamentations 3:22-23 (NASB)
Do you like these verses from Lamentations? Do you have a favorite Bible verse that sees you through times of trouble?
Comments 4
Merry Christmas and wishes for a Happy and Healthy year to come! I do love that verse in Laminations. It has been a very hard year for so many. My husbands father passed in April and his fathers sister passed in February and now a few days before Christmas we lost his fathers brother. The remaining sister had a stroke this year and is bedridden. My aunt and grandmother also each had a stroke and are recovering and I had a hospital stay and our daughter was sick for a long time with what we worried was Covid. It is a lot for one year to bring, but mixed in with it all were many blessings. So even in the times of sadness, we know that God is with us. Your books are always so encouraging and it is special that you match Bible verses with your stories. My husband got me the Hollyhill Series for Christmas and I look forward to reading them. This world is full of lots of sad things but God is always there with us and cherishing the good things and counting our blessings is so important, especially now. God Bless!
Author
What a difficult year for your family, Hope. And during this pandemic that had to make these sad time that much worse. I do hope the year ahead sees better health for your daughter and recovery for your aunt and grandmother.
Fun that you have the Hollyhill series. I’m actually just finishing up narrating the last of those books, Summer of Joy for an audio book. Orchard of Hope just got up as an audio book too. So I’ve been back living with those characters the last few days.
May you have many blessings to count in 2021.
Thank you, Ann! This is beautiful! One of the things I love about your books is the way you weave faith into the stories! This passage in Lamentations is one of my favorites, as is the song referenced. The scripture that is one of my “life verses” is Jeremiah 29:11-“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I can hold on to this promise through whatever comes my way. Again, thank you for your ministry of writing books that are entertaining, but also point readers to Christ.
Author
You picked a beautiful verse to hold onto, Judi. I actually usually put that one in These Healing Hills when I sign it. In that story, Francine’s plans were upended but the Lord did have a better plan for her.
Thank you so much for reading my books and for your encouraging words. I do like being able to have a faith thread in my stories.