It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

— Lamentations 3:22–23 (KJV)

A rough week can make a small setback feel permanent. A plan to make time for prayer or quiet can disappear after a few late nights, and by the weekend it’s easy to wonder whether it’s worth trying again.

These words in Lamentations give me a different place to begin the morning. God’s mercy is already there when I wake up. I can open the Bible for a few minutes, say a short prayer, or make a call I’ve been putting off. Each is a real beginning.

There may still be things from last week to put right. The promise of fresh mercy gives me room to deal with them one at a time. Today’s small act of attention is something I can do even after several days when I didn’t manage it.