A New Box of Crayons
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new.” Revelation 19:5
Not many experiences gave me more pleasure as a child than opening a new box of crayons. The kaleidoscope of colors, the uniformity of the rows, the perfect points, the waxy smell—I savored that sensory explosion of delight for several minutes before I removed the first crayon. Somehow, nothing I created with the crayons ever matched the magic of opening the new box.
I think of that experience every time I read Lamentations 3:22-23. Jeremiah said, “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed. For his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Surprisingly, Jeremiah wrote these confident words during the destruction of Jerusalem. In Lamentations 3 he described the affliction God had allowed in graphic phrases: He has walled me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains. Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer. He has barred my way with blocks of stone; he has made my paths crooked” (v. 7-8).
Jeremiah felt ill-used and discarded—like a broken crayon, its point worn down to the ripped paper casing.
But instead of plummeting into despair, he shifted his gaze to heaven and grabbed hold of hope. Why? Jeremiah counted on God’s ability to make all things new. He believed that God would restore Jerusalem, redeem His people, and fulfill every promise He had made.
The Hebrew word translated “compassions” in verse 22 signified the intimate bond between a parent and child—including love, pity, grace, and blessing. No matter how dismal life looked, Jeremiah’s confidence in God remained firm.
God has given us that same promise. Every morning we wake up with a brand new crayon box of God’s compassions. He bids us to open it, use it, and share it with others. If some crayons break or the paper casings tear, that’s okay. Tomorrow you will receive a brand new box. Great is His faithfulness.
DIG DEEPER:
Hebrews 8:6-13 speaks of the “new covenant” that Jesus mediates. What makes this covenant better than the one God established in the Old Testament?
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that in Christ we are “a new creation.” Are you clinging to some aspects of your old self? God has promised to give you a new heart and a new spirit if you ask him to do so (See Ezekiel 36:26-27.)
Revelation 21:1-4 describes “a new heaven and a new earth.” What appeals to you most about your future home?
Denise K. Loock