In my last post, I began a series called Songs of Hope. As I wrote in that post, I hope to encourage other Christians by sharing songs that will strengthen you with the truth. These songs have encouraged me in many aspects of life from day-to-day work to internal spiritual wrestlings. Both the words and the melodies of these songs remind me to look upward to Christ for my hope, and no matter where you are, what you are doing, or what may be happening to you, you can also take comfort from remembering your God in song.
The next song in this series is a hymn called Mercies Anew written jointly by Mark Altrogge and Bob Kauflin. I first heard this song from an album called Upward (an album I highly recommend listening to), so I will share that version with you.
Each one of the hymn's verses speaks differently to my heart. In the first verse, the song guides us to look at small, simple evidences of God's mercy to us. "Every breath that I take / Is your faithfulness proved." I am reminded that God sees my daily labors and knows every intimate detail of my life, and He provides what I need to accomplish the work He has given me to do. Every day gives me both reasons and opportunities to thank God.
The second verse steps away from the realm of physical duties and looks at our walk with the Lord. At first, this verse may seem to look back to our first coming to faith, but when we look more carefully, we can see that the words actually convey a life of repentance. "When I've fallen and strayed / There were mercies anew." Even after believing in Christ and receiving justification before God, Christians still commit sin, and this verse reassures us that God will be merciful to us.
But how can we continue to receive God's mercy, especially if we have just committed sin against Him? The second verse continues that, ". . . You sought me in love / And my heart You pursued." God will provide the Christian with conviction for his sin, desire to repent, and forgiveness in Christ.
The third verse weaves our physical and spiritual lives together. The language is poetic and somewhat ambiguous. I have personally understood the "storms" and "affliction" to refer to circumstantial trials while "pain" refers to the inward turmoil coming from those trials. Whether those elements refer to physical or spiritual difficulty, this verse communicates that we will suffer in this life as a result of sin in this world. In the end, however, all things will be made new and glorious. "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4, ESV)
Like I mentioned about the hymn, Day by Day, I frequently find myself singing Mercies Anew on those not-so-special days while I do mundane tasks. Sometimes as I sing about going through trials, I reflect on the fact that I am usually not experiencing a trial at that moment. However, singing this hymn can prepare my heart for the trials to come. When the storms do come, swirling and raging, the words welded to my heart long ago can return and comfort me. "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 . . . " (Lamentations 3:21-22).
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