GOD IS FAITHFUL

Jul 26, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Smoke and Ashes: Seeing Hope in the Ruins

Jeremiah stared at Jerusalem’s smoldering rubble from a cave, his nation destroyed and people exiled. Yet he declared hope not in circumstances, but in God’s relentless love that refuses to consume us. Like embers surviving wildfire, God’s sustaining love outlasts cultural collapse, church conflicts, and personal failures. This love isn’t earned through grit or optimism, but received by those who dare to name their ashes. Even when we abandon God, His love holds fast. What looks like an ending becomes a canvas for His faithfulness. [01:36]

But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
(Lamentations 3:21-23, ESV)

Reflection: Where in your life do you see only ruins? How might naming God’s unchanging love reframe that story?

Day 2: Fresh Mercies at Sunrise: Letting Go of Last Night’s Rumination

God’s compassion arrives daily like dawn, interrupting our cycles of regret and resentment. His mercies don’t recycle yesterday’s grace but offer a clean slate, as a parent loves a wayward child anew each morning. We rehearse old wounds in the dark, yet sunrise invites us to trade rumination for reception. These mercies aren’t shallow optimism, but the deep assurance that God meets today’s needs with today’s strength. Even funeral seasons and relational fractures find balm in this daily rhythm. [09:16]

The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.
(Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV)

Reflection: What burden from yesterday’s darkness are you still carrying? How might releasing it to today’s mercies change your posture?

Day 3: Sixty Years of Cracks: Trusting the God Who Rebuilds

Faithfulness isn’t the absence of collapse, but the courage to keep standing in cracked places. Like Jeremiah surviving pits and mud, like a church enduring decades of upheaval, God rebuilds through remnants. Dry seasons and empty pews become altars to the One who resurrects. Our endurance isn’t a trophy of personal grit, but a testament to the Faithful One who sustains broken vessels. Every crack becomes a channel for His light when we trust the Builder over the blueprint. [15:29]

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
(1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you equated faithfulness with flawlessness? How might your cracks reveal God’s commitment to complete what He started?

Day 4: One More Day in the Desert: The Discipline of Waiting

Waiting isn’t passive resignation, but active trust in the God who restored Israel after seventy years of exile. Jeremiah’s “therefore I will wait” emerges from ash-covered hope, not naive certainty. Like a desert wanderer depending on daily manna, we’re called to receive God’s portion for today’s hunger. Dry seasons train us to seek the Provider over the provision. The challenge isn’t to endure sixty years at once, but to trust the Faithful One for one more sunrise. [21:21]

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
(Lamentations 3:24, ESV)

Reflection: What makes waiting feel unbearable in your current season? How might embracing today’s “portion” ease the pressure to control tomorrow?

Day 5: Bridges of Faithfulness: Spanning the Past, Present, and Future

God’s faithfulness isn’t a faded photo album, but a living bridge connecting generations. As He sustained Israelites through exile and churches through cultural shifts, He links our stories to something eternal. Our memories of loss become stones in this bridge, proving His past faithfulness fuels present hope. This bridge doesn’t bypass valleys, but carries us through them, anchored to the One who promises: “I will surely do it.” Our task isn’t to engineer the structure, but to keep walking. [18:37]

He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
(1 Thessalonians 5:24, ESV)

Reflection: What stone from your past testifies to God’s faithfulness? How does that stone support your next step into the future?

Sermon Summary

Jeremiah stands in Lamentations 3 as the weeping prophet looking out over the ruins of Jerusalem. Babylon has come in, the temple has been destroyed, the city has been torn up, the best and brightest have been carried away, and a remnant has been left sitting in the ashes. Jeremiah has spent the first chapters naming horrible things, things gone wrong, things that look like mission impossible. Then the text turns on one little word, “yet.” “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope.”

The passage says that God’s people are not consumed because the Lord’s great love sustains them. God’s love does not give up, even in seasons when a person may have given up on God. Cultural upheaval, personal trials, church hurt, economic shifts, dry seasons, and deep loss can make life feel ripped up by the roots. Yet God’s love remains unchanging, still available, still holding, still bringing His people back one more time.

God’s compassions never fail, and His mercies are new every morning. The mind can go to bed ruminating over wrongs, relationships, regrets, and fears, but God does not run out of fresh mercy by morning. A parent’s compassion gives a small picture of this, even when a child frustrates to no end. God’s compassion is deeper, steadier, and renewed daily through funeral seasons, conflicts, weddings, grandchildren, salvations, and baptisms.

Jeremiah’s words, “Great is your faithfulness,” come from the valley, not the mountaintop. Everything about life had been tore up, yet Jeremiah could still say that God is trustworthy, reliable, just, unchanging, and faithful to every promise. Human faithfulness can waver, even from a ride or die friend, but God never has to be worried over like that. God’s faithfulness becomes a bridge to the past, the present, and the future.

Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 5 show the same faithful God at work. The God of peace Himself sanctifies wholly, keeping spirit, soul, and body blameless until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls is faithful, and He will surely do it. The Lord is the portion of His people, and therefore waiting on Him matters, even when waiting is not easy, even when the only strength left is one more day.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s love keeps the remnant [02:56] God’s great love is not sentimental weakness, it is sustaining power when everything else has been torn up. Jeremiah’s hope did not come from Jerusalem looking better, because Jerusalem was still in ruins. Hope came from calling to mind the love of God that had not let His people be consumed. [02:56]
2. Fresh mercy meets exhausted minds [09:16] A ruminating mind can turn night into a courtroom, replaying wrongs, failures, and relationships without bringing any healing. God’s mercies being new every morning means yesterday’s exhaustion does not get the final word over today’s grace. Fresh compassion does not pretend sin, grief, or conflict never happened; it gives the soul what is needed to stand before God again. [09:16]
3. Faithfulness stands in the valley [13:11] “Great is your faithfulness” was spoken while smoke and ashes still filled the scene. God’s trustworthiness is not proven only by mountaintop moments, but by His presence when life looks like the valley of the shadow of death. Human faithfulness can waver under pressure, but God keeps every promise without changing His character. [13:11]
4. God finishes what He starts [18:37] The faithful God who calls also sanctifies, keeps, and completes His work. Spiritual growth does not rest on personal worthiness, because the text places the weight on God Himself. The believer’s spirit, soul, and body are held by the One who “will surely do it.” [18:37]
5. Waiting can be one more day [21:07] “The Lord is my portion” does not make waiting easy, but it gives waiting a foundation. Sixty years of faithfulness is not built in one moment; it is built through countless dry seasons where God gives enough grace to continue. Sometimes endurance looks like trusting God for one more day rather than understanding the whole future. [21:07]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:22] - Lamentations From The Ruins
[02:56] - Not Consumed By God’s Love
[04:29] - Upheaval, Trials, And Church Hurt
[07:00] - Loss And Unchanging Love
[08:44] - Mercies New Every Morning
[11:45] - Mercy In Grief And Joy
[13:11] - Great Is Your Faithfulness
[16:10] - The Faithful God Sanctifies
[18:55] - Faithfulness Through The Decades
[20:21] - Trusting God In One Area
[21:07] - The Lord Is My Portion

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Lamentations 3:21-24
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’” [01:23]

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” [16:40]

Observation questions

In Lamentations 3:21-24, what does Jeremiah choose to call to mind, and what words in the passage show why he still has hope? [02:38]
What kinds of hardship were named that can make life feel torn up by the roots, like Jerusalem in ruins? [04:29]
What does the passage say is new every morning, and what everyday struggle was described that makes that promise especially meaningful? [09:16]
In 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, what are the things God is said to do for His people, and what part of a person is included in that care? [18:29]

Interpretation questions

Jeremiah says, “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope,” while the city is still in ruins. What does that suggest about where biblical hope comes from when circumstances have not changed yet? [13:11]
God’s mercies being new every morning does not erase yesterday, but it does meet people in it. How does that help someone think differently about guilt, grief, conflict, or mental exhaustion? [09:33]
“Great is your faithfulness” was spoken in the valley, not on the mountaintop. What does that reveal about the kind of faithfulness God has, and how is that different from human faithfulness? [14:17]
“He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” How does that shape the way a believer understands sanctification and spiritual growth, especially when feeling weak or unworthy? [19:33]

Application questions

Many people can name a season of cultural upheaval, personal trial, church hurt, loss, or financial strain. Which of those has pressed hardest on the heart lately, and what would it look like to say “yet” in that place before God? [03:59]
Nighttime rumination can turn the mind into a courtroom. What tends to replay in the mind at night right now—wrongs, regrets, relationships, fears—and how could the promise of fresh mercy change the way the next morning begins? [09:16]
God’s love sustains His people even in seasons when they feel worn down or far away. When has it felt hardest to believe that God’s love has not given up, and what has helped keep a person from being consumed? [08:50]
There is often at least one area where trusting God feels especially hard. What is one area right now—a job, a relationship, a health concern, a family burden, or something else—where God’s faithfulness needs to be trusted more fully? [20:36]
“The Lord is my portion” means God Himself is enough to hold onto while waiting. What kind of waiting is happening right now, and why does that waiting feel difficult in this season? [21:14]
Sometimes endurance does not look dramatic; sometimes it looks like trusting God for one more day. What would “one more day” of faithfulness look like in a very practical way this week? [22:42]
God is faithful not only to call but also to sanctify, keep, and complete His work. Where is there a tendency to rely more on personal strength than on the God who “will surely do it,” and how might that shift this week? [18:37]

Sermon Clips

60s

#GodNeverLetsUsDown

“``What does it mean when we say great is his faithfulness? It means that God is trustworthy. It means that God is reliable. It means that God is just. It means that God never changes. He keeps every promise that he makes. Think about God's faithfulness compared to human faithfulness. Human faithfulness can waver. Have you ever been let down by a friend? Have you ever been let down by a family member? Have you ever been let down by a coworker? Someone who, for years, had had been faithful, for years, had been that that that ride or die type of friend. And here's what I want you to hear and understand, that when it comes to God, we never have to worry about him letting us down.”

68s

#MerciesAreNewEveryMorning

“But to God be the glory that it was his love that helped sustain us, allowed us to come back one more time. The second point I want to talk to you about is that his compassions never fail. Matter of fact, one of the most beautiful verses that I love, and it says this, that his mercies are new. How often? Every morning. Now I don't know about you, but, like, I need God's mercies every morning. Like, sometimes I go to bed, and I ruminate. I ruminate over things. I ruminate over wrongs. I ruminate over relationships. And I've never woken up in the morning feeling better when I spent all night ruminating. You know when I wake up feeling better in the morning? When I remember God's mercies are new. When I remember that he says, Ronnie, you shouldn't have done that all night last night. But here's what I've got for you today, and it's fresh mercies. It's fresh compassion.”

45s

#FaithfulInTheValley

“Now remember, what's the scenario that he says these words, he writes these words down? The the everything about life that he knew was tore up. It it was not a season of a mountaintop. This was the valley. This was the valley of the shadow of death. This was when everything seemed like it was going the wrong way, yet he could say great is your faithfulness. And, church, I would imagine that the four that stood up here that we recognize that I will bet through those years, through those decades, there were many times where they didn't understand it, but they said great is God's faithfulness.”

56s

#ProclaimFaithInDarkness

“The third thing I wanna point out to you in this passage, and it's this phrase that Jeremiah proclaims, and he says these words, great is your faithfulness. Now remember, what's the scenario that he says these words, he writes these words down? The the everything about life that he knew was tore up. It it was not a season of a mountaintop. This was the valley. This was the valley of the shadow of death. This was when everything seemed like it was going the wrong way, yet he could say great is your faithfulness. And, church, I would imagine that the four that stood up here that we recognize that I will bet through those years, through those decades, there were many times where they didn't understand it, but they said great is God's faithfulness.”

46s

#HeWhoCallsIsFaithful

“And that's what Paul's saying is, I I I don't want you just to survive. I want you, soul, body, and spirit, to experience eternity with your heavenly father. And then he closes with this, he who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it. God who has called each of us is faithful. Just like the with the children of Israel when Jeremiah was at his wits end, when all was lost. It didn't look like it was it was gone. Yet, God restored the nation of Israel.”

68s

#LoveThatNeverGivesUp

“I wanna share with you three powerful truths from this set of verses right here, the first one is this, that we are not consumed. Why? Because God's great love sustains us. when I think about God's love, I think about a love that never gives up. Aren't you glad that God's love never gives up on us? I mean, I have no idea what it's been like for sixty eight years, for sixty plus years, but I gotta tell you, in in my fifty years of of serving the Lord, there have been times where I've given up on God. And yet, God's love is never ending. God's love still sustained me even in those seasons where I had given up on God. Because God has a love for us that he never gives up.”

70s

#WaitOnTheLord

“I I just wanna hear me. Waiting for God is not easy. It was not easy for Jeremiah to wait for God. It was not easy. I imagine for for the our four honorees today to to sixty years, there had to be dry seasons during those sixty years. Those times could not have been easy. I would imagine that maybe you, today, are in one of those dry seasons. Maybe you're experiencing loss. And here's my my encouragement to you is Jeremiah's encouragement to the nation of Israel, is Paul's encouragement to the church at Thessalonica, and that is wait the Lord. Don't give up.”

57s

#TrustGodWithYourOneThing

“Maybe there's one area where right now you are just wondering, you know, where are you, God? Maybe you feel like Jeremiah looking out the cave, and and all you can see is the the smoke coming up from the fire. All you can see on the ground is the ashes that have been piled up of all of the things that have been burnt. What is that one thing that you need to trust God's faithfulness Maybe it's a job. Maybe it's a relationship. What is that one area that you need to rely on God's faithfulness.”

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