The Dawn’s Faithful Promise

The Dawn’s Faithful Promise: Mercies New in the African Sun

The First Light

You see the first sliver of dawn slowly lighten the black sky. However dark your night has been, God’s mercies are new this morning. His faithfulness is like the sunrise, a sure and steady promise. Your day begins with His hope. Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his mercies never fail. They are new every morning .

Picture this morning in Akasia, my home. The roosters are crowing, the morning breeze whispers through the blue gum trees, and the familiar scent of wood smoke and freshly baked roosterkoek begins to fill the air. Yet beneath this ordinary beauty, our community bears the scars of ongoing struggle—the relentless power cuts that leave us in darkness, the water shortages that test our patience, the economic hardships that weigh heavy on countless families. In such a context, the promise that God's mercies are "new every morning" is not merely a pleasant religious idea—it is the very anchor of our survival, the defiant hope that enables us to rise each day and face our challenges with courage and conviction.

A Personal Encounter with Dawn's Faithfulness

I recall one particularly difficult season when both the national darkness and my personal darkness seemed overwhelming. The relentless load-shedding had damaged my computer, wiping out a manuscript I had been working on for months. Then came the devastating news that a dear friend had been caught in the crossfire of gang violence in Cape Town. My own faith felt fragile, like a candle flickering in the wind.

One morning, after another night of unexpected power cuts, I stumbled out of bed before sunrise, frustrated and weary. I walked out into the quiet streets of Akasia, toward the open veld where the city noises fade and creation speaks. As I watched the sun break over the Magaliesberg, painting the sky in brilliant shades of orange and purple, the words of Lamentations echoed in my spirit: "His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" .

In that moment, I understood afresh that God's faithfulness isn't dependent on my circumstances or even my feelings. The sunrise doesn't ask permission to appear; it comes because God has ordained its faithful rhythm. My manuscript might be lost, but God's mercies were not. Violence might threaten, but God's compassion would not fail. The electricity might be unreliable, but God's power never falters. This is the steadfast truth that anchors us when everything around us seems unstable.

The Biblical Foundation: Unpacking Lamentations 3:22-23

Let us define our terms clearly here, for much theological confusion arises from imprecise understanding. The Hebrew word translated as "mercies" is hesed, which encompasses God's steadfast love, covenant loyalty, and merciful kindness. It's not merely a sentimental feeling but a committed, action-oriented love that persists despite our failings . The word "compassions" derives from the Hebrew rachamim, which is intimately connected to the word for womb, suggesting a mother's tender affection for the child she has carried .

The context makes this promise even more remarkable. The prophet Jeremiah uttered these words not from a mountaintop of triumph but from the pit of despair. He witnessed Jerusalem's destruction, the suffering of his people, and the apparent triumph of Babylon's gods over Israel's God. Yet right in the middle of the book of Lamentations—right in the center of the pain—breaks this stunning confession of hope .

Consider the logical structure of Jeremiah's argument:

1. Major Premise: We deserve complete consumption due to our rebellion against God.

2. Minor Premise: Yet we are not consumed.

3. Conclusion: Therefore, something—or Someone—is preventing our justified destruction.

4. Identification: The preventing cause is Yahweh's hesed and rachamim, which never fail and are perpetually renewed.

This is not wishful thinking but solid theological reasoning grounded in the character of God. The evidence Jeremiah points to is their continued existence despite their rebellion: "We are not consumed." The only adequate explanation for why a holy God would continue to preserve a rebellious people is His covenant faithfulness .

Confronting Our Context: The South African Challenge

Now, my dear friends, we must sound the alarm against a dangerous error that has infiltrated our South African Christian landscape. In our legitimate longing for God's mercies, we have seen the rise of a prosperity gospel that reduces God's faithfulness to material blessings and easy solutions. This theology suggests that if we have enough faith, we will be rich, healthy, and problem-free. But this is a lie that cannot withstand either Scripture or our lived experience .

Is it not true that we all feel the tension between the promise of God's faithfulness and the reality of our ongoing struggles? I have sat with mothers in Alexandra township who pray fervently for their children yet watch them succumb to drug addiction. I have wept with farmers in the Eastern Cape who trust God for rain yet face devastating droughts. I have encouraged pastors in Cape Town who proclaim God's goodness yet minister in communities ravaged by violence.

If God's faithfulness means primarily physical protection and material abundance, then how do we explain the suffering of faithful Christians across our nation? The truth is that the promise of Lamentations 3:22-23 was originally given to people facing national catastrophe, not earthly prosperity. God's faithfulness doesn't always spare us from suffering, but it does preserve us in the midst of suffering. We are not consumed—though the flames may burn hot, they will not destroy us .

Another concerning trend is the syncretism that blends Christianity with traditional African beliefs in ways that compromise biblical truth. Some churches now encourage consultation with sangomas alongside Christian worship, claiming this is part of our African heritage . But dear friends, we must ask: Can the light fellowship with darkness? Can Christ share allegiance with other spirits? The Scripture declares unequivocally: "You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3).

True liberation—spiritual, physical, and economic—is found only in submitting completely to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, not in mixing bits of Christianity with practices that ultimately deny Christ's supremacy. Our African identity is precious, but our identity in Christ must be paramount.

The Rhythm of Redeemed Reality

They are new every morning. Not just occasionally. Not just when we feel deserving. Not just when the weather is pleasant. Every morning. The constancy of God's compassionate renewal is as reliable as the sunrise itself 

Imagine if you will, the divine logistics required to extend such promise! God doesn't recycle yesterday's mercies. He doesn't provide leftovers from yesterday's banquet. Each day brings a fresh delivery of grace, tailor-made for that day's particular needs. Jesus Himself taught us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11), not "Give us this week our weekly bread."

This daily provision requires daily dependence. We cannot store up God's mercies like preppers stocking canned goods for the apocalypse. We must come to Him each morning, each moment, with open hands and trusting hearts. This is the beautiful dependency that keeps us in intimate relationship with our Creator.

The Apologetic Argument: Defending Dawn's Promise

A common objection arises: "If God is so faithful and compassionate, why does He allow such suffering in our South African context? Why the persistent inequality? Why the corruption that steals from the poor? Why the violence that tears apart communities?

This objection fails to recognize both human responsibility and the already-but-not-yet nature of God's kingdom. God's faithfulness does not override human free will—the consequences of our sinful choices still ripple through our societies. The poverty and corruption we see are largely the results of human greed and injustice, not God's failure .

At the same time, we live between Christ's first coming—where He inaugurated God's kingdom—and His second coming—where He will consummate it. In this in-between time, we experience the tension of God's faithfulness amidst ongoing brokenness. The sunrise reminds us that God's mercies are already present, even as we await the full daylight of His restoration.

The evidence strongly supports Christianity's truth claims through the historical resurrection of Jesus Christ—the ultimate demonstration that God's faithfulness triumphs over even death itself . If God raised Jesus from the dead—and the historical evidence says He did—then we can trust His promise to make all things new.

Living in the Light of Faithfulness

So how do we, as modern South African Christians, practically live in the light of God's faithful promises? Let me suggest three ways:

1. Cultivate a daily rhythm of remembrance. Each morning, before checking your phone or facing the day's challenges, take a moment to watch the sunrise—whether literally or metaphorically. Recall God's faithfulness. Count your mercies. Name them one by one. Keep a journal of how God has shown Himself faithful in your life.

2. Become a conduit of God's compassion. In a nation struggling with so many needs, God's faithfulness is often manifested through His people. When we extend compassion to others, we become the visible expression of God's invisible faithfulness. Volunteer at a community kitchen. Tutor a child from an underserved community. Advocate for justice in your sphere of influence.

3. Maintain an eternal perspective. The same faithfulness that brings new mercies each morning has promised a final day when dawn will break forever, when every tear will be wiped away, and when justice will roll down like waters. Our present struggles are real, but they are temporary. God's faithfulness is eternal.

The Certainty of the Sunrise

Therefore, reason itself, illuminated by Scripture and confirmed in our deepest longings, compels us to acknowledge that the God who faithfully orders the sunrise can be trusted with our darkest nights. His track record is impeccable—from the creation of the world to the cross of Christ to the empty tomb to the present preservation of His people.

The same faithful God who preserved a remnant in Jeremiah's day is preserving a faithful remnant in South Africa today—not for our comfort but for His glory and for the healing of our nation. He calls us to participate in His faithful renewal of all things—spiritually, socially, and even structurally.

So as you face this day—with its load-shedding schedules, its economic pressures, its relational challenges—remember the dawn's faithful promise. However dark your night has been, God's mercies are new this morning. His faithfulness is like the sunrise, a sure and steady promise. Your day begins with His hope.

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 .

Prayer: Father, thank you for the gift of this new day. Let its light remind me of Your faithful love and fill me with fresh hope. Amen.