Is it just me, or do the days between the end of Christmas and the beginning of New Year’s feel, well a bit gloomy?  And maybe not even gloomy, but just odd?  I woke today, on the 28th day of December feeling melancholy.  If I could have determined the calendar of events by which we live, I might have ended December on the 26th.  (We can’t entirely do away with the day after Christmas because we all love a bargain, yes?)   The magic of the Holiday season is fading.  The anticipation and excitement of new beginnings hasn’t quite reached our doorsteps. So where does this leave us my friends, these 6 days in-between?  These days where the 2014 calendar is big and bulky now and we would really like to just go ahead and be done with the year we inhabit.  Let’s move on, we tell ourselves.  We are ready for the new.

Lamentations 3:21-24 ESV

“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.'”

I find it interesting that this uplifting verse is found in the Book of Lamentations.  The word “lament” itself implies mourning, grief, and sadness.  Yet, here in the middle of what could be interpreted as basically a bitter eulogy for the destroyed city of Jerusalem, we see encouraging Truth.  It’s Truth I’ve heard many times, “His mercies are new every morning.”  It’s a promise we recite to ourselves and to others, a reminder of God’s love and faithfulness.

What I’ve never noticed before, however, is the placement of this passage.  Found in Chapter 3, it sits literally in the middle of rebellion and ruin, confession and pleas for restoration.  Perhaps also a space “in-between”….

If we took a long look at the Bible, we would likely find many other in-between spaces…spaces between the promise and the promise fulfilled….spaces between the prophecy and the prophecy fulfilled.  Yes, it’s true the in-between can be uncomfortable, even downright painful.  But aren’t these spaces necessary?  Aside from creating a bit of breathing room, aren’t they a time of preparation?  Of development and growth?  Of grace?

Perhaps it’s all of the above.  Regardless, God knows what He’s doing and has promised to “work all things together for good.”  I can’t remind my soul enough…

Tradition may have created a six day gap from celebration to celebration but I believe God is sovereign even over that.  My friends, we don’t need a Christmas tree or a midnight countdown to remember who He is.  Because every single sunrise brings promise and revelation; The promise of new mercy and the revelation of His goodness.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the “stuff” this time of year brings.  But let us instead fix our eyes and rest that He holds our yesterday, our tomorrow and all of the minutes in-between.