Moi-ning Moi-see

 

At bedtime, part of our routine is to sing a song together and then pray.  We have begun singing the same song for a few weeks in a row in the hopes that our daughter will begin to learn the song through repetition.  For the last few weeks we've been singing Great is Thy Faithfulness.

We knew our little plan was working when one night, as we were heading to her room to sing, she said "Moi-ning!  Moi-see!"  (That would be from the line "Morning by morning new mercies I see".) 

Let me just say that I LOVE toddler language.  Is there anything so overwhelmingly adorable as my child overpronouncing "MOI-see"?  I think not.  This is admittedly because I am a language acquisition nerd and a mommy with a heart full of love for her child.  But it's also because I am very much in love with those moi-sees my daughter is talking about.

That line from Great is Thy Faithfulness is taken almost directly from Lamentations 3:22-23.

The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.

This is one of those passages.  The ones that everyone quotes to people who are suffering.  And not without reason...after all, I can't think of many better promises to hold on to in the midst of the troubles of life.  It's a promise that comes from the mouth of a man who is suffering beyond belief.  A promise that comes in the middle of a passage describing pain and utter despair. A promise we all need at some point in our lives.

It's one thing to trust that this promise is true.  To hear these words from the mouth of friends, family, and your daughter who can't really put a sentence together.  To sing Great is Thy Faithfulness, telling yourself and others that you know these words are true.

It's an entirely different and more amazing thing to have God Himself show you that this promise is true.  Words are powerful, but experience is even stronger.  My experience over the last months has brought these words to life for me. 

Notice the word "mercies" or "compassions" is plural.  Jeremiah isn't just talking about God's general character, as in "God is merciful and compassionate every morning."  That is a true statement about God.  But this verse seems to be saying more.  Perhaps we could paraphrase it "God does many different merciful and compassionate things for you every morning."

And let me tell you, this is also a true statement about God.  His mercies are plural.  There's more than just a vague, general niceness to God.  He shows His steadfast love, His compassion, His undeserved favor in more ways than we can count.  Every day.  Have you ever stopped for a moment to list the loving, kind, compassionate, merciful, beautiful things that you experience in a day?  Try it sometime.  It might take more than a moment.  

I don't know if it is that God's mercies seem more abundant in the middle of a storm because they are so starkly contrasted to some of the ugly difficulties of life, or if God makes sure that more of those mercies populate the days of those who are suffering.  Either way, the mercies God has given me are many.

Also tied up in the plurality of the word "mercy" is variety.  God doesn't just have a few different kinds of mercies that He doles out.  Every good thing given comes from Him.  As an uncreative person, this is particularly amazing to me.  Thinking of unique Christmas gifts for our immediate family members taxes my capacity to imagine and provide good things.  But God can dream up mercies in unending variety.  Lots of different ones, just for me.  He knows what kind and lovely things will bring joy to my heart, even though I'm a moody pregnant woman who can't even figure out for herself what she wants from one minute to the next.  

Just so you have a modest example of the multitude and variety of mercies God has given me, let me share with a few of them from the last day or two:
The fall breeze
Chocolate
My daughter singing
Getting a pedicure (or getting a chance to sit still and quiet for 45 minutes...)
A Bible study that was basically written for me
Sitting on the couch and talking with my husband
A bunch of sweet texts and emails when I was having a rough morning
A clean house that I didn't have to clean by myself 

What beautiful moi-sees!  Looking at this list makes me hopeful and excited to see what mercies tomorrow will hold.