JANUARY 1, 2013 

IN THE WORD

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

                                                            ~ John 1:1 (italics added)

I love words. They bring meaning to our lives just as God Himself used them to bring meaning to our existence – to create all we see, feel, know, and are.

How often I gloss over the words in His Word ~ shortchanging my understanding of God. Perhaps you do the same. A familiar scripture appears at the top of a devotional message, and we think, I know that one. In our haste to read what a human author has to say, we skim the verse and fix our eyes on the stories and reflections of a man or woman who has built a message around that scripture.

This year, I want to focus on the words in His Word. I want to mine the depths of words that will help me dig into the very heart of God.  Up for an adventure? Let’s dive in!

His compassions never fail.  ~ Lamentations 3:22

Four words that communicate a message able to save a dying man  -- words that are a life raft in the stormy sea of our existence.

The first word ~ His ~ immediately connects you and me to the maker of words, our very creator, God Himself. While humans will fail us, God’s compassions never will.

But what are compassions? Why do we need them?

Compassion means feeling with. Today if you are hurting, He is feeling your pain with you. When we are sad, He feels it. In moments of joy, He rejoices with us. And since we are a complex myriad of emotions, His compassions embrace all of what transpires in our hearts. So we are not alone in any of our fears, sorrows, hopes, and joys.

The next word is a promise. Never will His compassions fail. Our deeds, repeated slips and intentional rebellion don’t influence God’s deep connection to our feelings. Although we are fickle, He never fails us. I like that!

And finally, fail. If you lived life here on this fallen planet, you’ve likely had your share of failing. We let ourselves or someone else down, and we know we’ve failed. Others do the same, and we lose trust in them.

According to Webster, to fail is to be lacking or insufficient; fall short, lose power or strength, weaken; die away, be deficient or negligent in an obligation, duty or expectation.

We fail, but God never does!

The God Who gave us breath, who awakened us to a new day and a new year, connects to our hearts, feelings, and passions at all times and in all ways. He will never fall short or neglect us.

Happy New Year!