Lamentations 3:22–26 — His Compassions Fail Not

Why families choose it

These verses are not spoken from safety — Lamentations is written in the ruins of Jerusalem, by a man who has watched everything fall. That is what gives ‘new every morning’ its weight: mornings are the hardest hours of grief, and this reading promises mercy at exactly that hour. The line ‘great is thy faithfulness’ became a hymn many mourners will know, so the reading arrives half-remembered, like something true they had forgotten.

Reading it aloud

Resist the pull to brighten it — these lines carry their comfort quietly, and they end in waiting, not triumph. Pause after ‘great is thy faithfulness’, because many present will hear the hymn behind it. Let the last verse slow almost to a stop; ‘quietly wait’ should sound like what it says. A level, unhurried voice serves this reading better than a warm one.

In the programme, list it in the order of service as “Scripture Reading — Lamentations 3:22–26” with the reader’s name beside it. The full text is public domain and may be printed on the life-story or back page.