Laurie Hopkins

No matter what you endured through the night hours, the mercies and compassions of the Lord are new every morning.  

Not just on some mornings, but every morning.  

Each new dawn signals a new day and each new day signals a new experience of mercy and compassion from the hand of the Lord.  

When we count our blessings, 

when we consider the reasons we have for crawling out from between the warm covers and greeting the new day, 

when we wonder why we are “doing this all over again” after the day/night we had yesterday, 

we need to be like the Psalmist and “recall to mind”, 

giving us hope and purpose as we face the new day.  

As you rise this morning, reach out and touch the hand and the heart of your Heavenly Father who is forever faithful.

With the laying of the foundation of the new temple, a new thing was set forth.  

Those that looked ahead, beyond the “beginning foundation” toward what the Lord was going to do, knew that it would be great and they shouted aloud with joy.  

Those that looked back at what had been, only saw what was in front of them; what looked like a shabby copy of what had been.  

They were blinded to what the Lord was going to do ahead of them, only focusing on what this “beginning foundation” looked like and how it paled in comparison. 

They missed the fact that this was just the beginning of the new thing. 

They wept with a loud voice.  

We often look at the new thing the Lord is doing in our lives, in this way.  

We begin to compare the glory of the old thing in its heyday to the beginning foundations of the new thing that is coming.  

There is no comparison. 

This is a new thing.  

We must learn to look beyond what we can see, to what we know. 

Oh that the Lord would give us new vision for the new thing He is doing!

There is comfort in the Word of God.  

No matter what the situation or the circumstance the Word of God has a word of healing, comfort and direction.  

When you don’t know where or who to turn to, you need to open up the Word.  

Psalms will tell you how to acknowledge and feel your real feelings but ultimately turn to God. 

John will tell you how much you are loved.  

The Old Testament will show you the faithfulness of God in the wilderness, while the New Testament will show you the love of God that brings new life. 

Whatever you need, you will find it there. 

We are all afflicted at some point in our life.  

The good news is that the Word has you covered.  

It will comfort you and give you new life!