Our God Is Faithful!

"Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God (El Emunah), keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments."
                                                      Deuteronomy 7:9


In this rapidly changing world in which we live, there is one constant and unchanging truth that we can literally take to the bank, and that is that our God is faithful and forever will be. We experience His faithfulness in greater measures the more we get to know  Him. Since He never changes, we can look back over the centuries and see that His faithfulness has continued throughout the generations. As we remember His love and mercy for us personally, we see a pattern emerge that speaks to the consistency and loyalty of His covenant in our lives. He is faithful, no matter what happens in this world or even how unfaithful His people may be.

The Hebrew word that is translated to "faithfulness" means "steadfastness, firmness, and fidelity". Oftentimes this faithfulness is attributed to God's Word. That is because no matter how long ago His words may have been written, they are still true for us today. His promises will forever be applicable to us because the very essence of His words are truth.

When God gave the commandments to the Jewish people, they took them so literally that they put little portions of Scripture into containers called phylacteries and placed them on their foreheads and left arms (Matthew 23:5). They also attached a small container of Scripture, called a mezuzah, to the front door and on every door in the house. Every time they passed through a doorway, they touched the mezuzah reverently as a sign that their house was a sanctuary for the Lord and a place where the Word of God is loved, obeyed, and taught.

In this time and in this culture, often we lose the importance and significance of these truths that have been revered historically. We become so immersed in the falsehoods of  our day that we forget that God will never change and can never lie. We may overlook the fact that God has never failed in the past (Isaiah 51:6) and that He was always true to His Word. If He said He would do something, He always followed through on what He said He would do.

We can trust His character even when we do not understand His timing or His actions.  He is sovereign, holy, and always good. These truths will never change no matter how chaotic our world may become. We get to know Him better by studying His Word, meditating on what He has done in our lives, and learning to follow His voice.

We can trust God's future faithfulness by remembering His past faithfulness in our lives.  It requires intentionality to remember all of the ways God has provided for us in the past, and answered our prayers, and delivered us from the things that have come against us. We can reminisce about how He worked things together for our good when circumstances seemed to scream the opposite. Confidence will arise as we rehearse all the good that God has woven into our lives and families, even at times when it didn't even seem possible.

God will give us confirmations of His faithfulness inn our lives. He can confirm through: His Word, other people, circumstances, and through the Holy Spirit who resides within us. We can learn to drown out other competing voices that would seek to derail us from the purposes of God in our lives. Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice; I know them and they follow Me" (John 10:27).

It requires faith on our part to continue to trust God more deeply when the circumstances in our lives seem out of kilter. Faith is trusting God even before we see how He is going to work things out for us. Faith is standing on His Word and on His promises. As we witness Him bringing His promises to fulfillment in our lives, our trust in His faithfulness will grow.

We can trust Him:
                                In the midst of an illness
                               
                               With a Prodigal Child

                               When Others Betray Us

                               In a Troubled Marriage
   
                              When Our future is Uncertain

                              In Distressing Times
      
                              In Times of Need
                  
                              With Career Changes

                              In Times of Transition

                              In Hardships, Trials, and Affliction

                              In Major Life Changes

                              And, in anything else that this world may throw at us!


God's faithfulness will change us. George Macdonald said, "God's finger can touch nothing but to mold it into loveliness." We are transformed as we experience His protection, provision, love, and power in and around us. We are made new as we see God show up and deliver us, especially when we realize that it is completely undeserved.

God is faithful because He is love. He doesn't just love us, His very nature and essence are love. Demonstrating His love for us actually brings Him glory. He lavishes us with His sacrificial love, not because we deserve it, but because this is who He is. Faithfulness is the natural extension of the character of God who loves us extravagantly and unconditionally.

When we walk in faith and are faithful in return, this shows God that we are trustworthy. Especially in the times in which we live, God seeks out those in the earth who will be trustworthy to Him. For, there is no limit to what God can do if He finds one who is faithful and can be trusted.

Whether or not any of us are trustworthy, though, God still will be because He is good! His plans for us are good and they will prevail. When we continue to look to Him as the Author and Finisher of our faith, we know that He understands us better than we understand ourselves and that what He allows in our lives are the constructs for a beautiful story. Though the plot twists may be harrowing at times, He is always working on our behalf and, in the end, we will be eternally grateful for every part of our narrative. That is because our God is faithful!!!!


                               "God loves each of us as if there were only one of us."
                                                              St. Augustine

Strength In Christ

"Give strength to the hands that are tired and to knees that tremble with weakness. Tell everyone who is discouraged, 'Be strong and don't be afraid! God is coming to your rescue, and He will save you!'"
                                                                     Isaiah 35:3-4




When a parent helps a young child learn how to walk, it is a collaborative effort that frequently involves encouragement and lots of do-overs. Time and again, the young child finds himself seated on his derriere without having gotten very far in distance (thankfully, they have pampers to buffer the blow). The parent lovingly tells the child that they can, indeed, have victory but that they must get up again and attempt it one more time. Trust is required for the wobbly toddler to want to venture out, yet another time, beyond the comfort of crawling that they have so adeptly learned. The child learns to find strength in the strength of their parents' arms and attentiveness.

Since all of us successfully learn how to walk in our formative years (unless, of course, there are physical limitations), it is a wonderful visual for us to see how God intends for us to draw upon His strength throughout our lives. The apostle, Paul, describes this process as he says, "I toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works in me" (Colossians 1:29). In other words, we exercise our will as we rely on the will of God in order to make things happen. Both parties work in unison in order for the weaker vessel to be made strong in his or hers Father's hands.

Strength in Christ, however, in no way mimics the strength that the world tells us we should possess. It is not stoic or found by "picking yourselves up by the bootstraps". Instead, it is only found in our relationship with Jesus. It is found in the most unusual places like choosing the treasures found in God's Word, or in prayer, or in just an honest dialogue with God about your circumstances and your life.

John Piper uses the acronym of A.P.T.A.T. to explain how to find our strength in God, alone.  It is as follows:
          A. ADMIT (that you can do nothing)
          P. PRAY (for God's help in your situation)
          T. TRUST (a particular promise of God's help)
          A. ACT (believe His promises)
          T. THANK (Thank God for help received)

Of all of these steps, Piper says that trusting is by far the most important one. We do not pray for help hour by hour. Instead, we trust specific promises hour by hour. We meditate on them and speak them out loud. We remember that it is the blood of Christ that has given us access to these very precious promises and that we are a blessed people who can live our lives standing upon them.

His strength can become ours. Paul tells us that "in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]. And, [since] you are in Him, [you] are made full and have come to the fullness of life [filled with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and have reached full spiritual stature]" (Colossians 2:9-10). In other words, He has already apportioned every ounce of strength for us that we will need each day.

It is His grace and mercies that are new each morning that ae poured out into our lives to supply our every need. We choose daily whether we will receive them or whether we will tough it out on our own. We choose daily whether we lean on Him for all that we need or whether we are self-sufficient and will be the lord of our own destiny.

If we have truly been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20), we live by faith in Jesus who loves and gave Himself for us. We give. We love. And, we are free-- not only from sin, but also to do what God has called us to do. We are strengthened in our faith as we practice God's presence in our lives and believe that God is acting on our behalf. Even, when we cannot tangibly see it yet.

Especially when we are at our weakest points, Christ can be all the more stronger to us. Strangely, it is during these times that we get to know God in ways that we never could when life is going well. God's faithfulness shines ever brighter in these seasons where we find ourselves utterly without any strength. It is then that He is our strong tower and refuge in the storm.

We can learn what Paul did when God said to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). This message of grace was God's promise of provision for every need we have and whenever we need it. There is an acrostic for grace that goes as follows:
                                         G- God's
                                         R- Riches
                                         A- At
                                         C- Christ's
                                         E- Expense

This grace is sufficient. There is never a shortage.  He will meet our spiritual needs, our material needs, our emotional needs, and our physical needs. If His grace is sufficient to save us, then it absolutely is sufficient to strengthen us in our times of suffering.

So many of our blessings come in the form of transformation rather than in the form of substitution. Often, we prefer to trade our difficulties with easier circumstances, but, instead, God changes us. He teaches us how to conquer our worries and our fears and trust Him to greater degrees than we ever have before. Our needs are met when we are transformed. After transformation, our trials work for us rather than against us.

What God may choose to give us during transformation is deeper insight and revelation as to what He is doing. We accept whatever gifts He gives and allow Him to accomplish His purposes. God always prepares us for what lies ahead before we even have any idea of what that might be. He is thorough and always the perfect parent- knowing when to let us walk, run, or even fall on our derriere!

Power increases in our walk when God's grace enables us to soar above our problems rather that to be weighted down by them. Our character is built and we become more like Jesus. We move beyond acceptance of our sufferings to having the ability to glory in them. Suffering then becomes our servant instead of our tyrannical taskmaster.

P.T. Forsyth said, " It is a greater thing to pray for pain's conversion than its removal." This allows the spiritual to take precedence over the physical. It trusts God's ability to balance burdens with blessings. It acknowledges that pride is a more evil dictator than any physical ailment. It understands that pain is not a barrier to effective service. And, it gives us the opportunity to truly rest in God's Word.

We find our strength in God when we trust in His will and depend on His grace. We find our anointing and callings as we mature in Christ and move beyond acceptance to power in Christ. When the full measure of the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) resides in us, we will move and advance in the very strength of Christ! Be strong!!!


"Faith upholds a Christian under all trials, by assuring him that every painful dispensation is under the direction of his Lord; that chastisements are a token of His love; that the season, measure, and continuance of his sufferings, are appointed by Infinite Wisdom, and designed to work for his everlasting good; and that grace and strength shall be afforded him, according to his need."
                                                    John Newton, Hymnist