23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I have hope in Him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the [g]person who seeks Him.
26 It is good that he waits silently
For the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man that he should bear
The yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone and be silent
Since He has laid it on him.
29 Let him [h]put his mouth in the dust,
Perhaps there is hope.
30 Let him give his cheek to [i]the smiter,
Let him be filled with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not reject forever,
32 For if He causes grief,
Then He will have compassion
According to His abundant lovingkindness.
33 For He does not afflict [j]willingly
Or grieve the sons of men.
If you didn’t read (or forgot) where we left off, “they” refers to the lovingkindesses and compassions of the Lord. Those are new every morning, because “great” (to put it mildly) is His faithfulness. So Jeremiah continues with more timely reminders–not just for those Israelites who were in captivity, or for the remnant left behind.
He reminds us that God is good for those who wait for Him and to those who seek Him. Like God’s compassions, this isn’t a one time deal, but something we also need to do every day. He repeats a few things here, like the idea that we should wait and be silent (vv. 26, 28). And though it might be difficult for us, it is also good for us, along with bearing God’s yoke when we are young–so that we bear it more easily as we mature.
As Jeremiah continues, this is no light matter, but a reminder that hardship is good for us (vv. 29-30). For God does cause grief, but also will have compassion on us. It isn’t something God does because it is fun for him (v. 33), any more than we discipline our kids and enforce rules that are hard for them (and us). Rather, God gives us hard times because they are good for us.
Again, He will be good to those who seek Him, and part of that goodness is going through hardship. It seems a paradox, why can’t everything be smooth sailing? Yet in the middle of trials, storms, and worse, God’s compassions are new every morning. His faithfulness is unchanging, but we need also to remember to wait on Him and to be silent.
Those aren’t easy things to remember, and oddly, it seems tough circumstances drive us more readily to wait on God. So whatever you’re going through this morning, continue to seek God and wait on Him. And especially, take some time to be silent with Him. Ask God to direct your steps, and then don’t be so surprised when He does! Then do it again tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that, for the rest of your life.