Great is His Faithfulness
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:3-6
“Also, the Spirit helps us with our weakness. We do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit himself speaks to God for us, even begs God for us with deep feelings that words cannot explain. God can see what is in people’s hearts. And he knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit speaks to God for his people in the way God wants. We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. They are the people he called, because that was his plan” Romans 8:26-28
The concept of the faithfulness of God has come up for me a lot in the past few weeks. There have been quite a few health issues with friends and family in the recent weeks. From my dad’s angioplasty and my uncle’s kidney stone and lesion to the death of my dear friend’s sister and the prostate cancer diagnosis for another very close friend, things have been difficult in the last few months. And there are plenty more circumstances that creep up daily that require another measure of God’s grace.
So, on Sunday night, while my roomie, Melissa, and I sat with our feet in the pool, taking in the beauty of the almost full moon and breezy clouds, we began talking about the faithfulness of God. She said something that made perfect sense. She said that she had faith in God because He had always proved Himself faithful. He always came through. Not that He made everything hunky dory, but that He was always there and He ALWAYS worked the difficulties and tragedies of her life into something beautiful. And I would have to agree with her. Time and time again, I have seen God take a circumstance or situation that, at the time, was just about the worst thing imaginable, and somehow, when I look back on the road I have traveled, He has worked it out for His glory and my benefit.
I trust that He has our best interests at heart because I’ve never been given any reason not to. It’s just about as natural to me as breathing in and breathing out. And I think there’s a certain sense of calm that comes from that. I’m not one to overly worry about things. Even big things. I take life as it comes at me, usually without crippling concern, because I know that ultimately there’s not a thing I can do to change the situation. Our only recourse is Jesus.
As the people of God, I believe that we can cling to the promise God made to Israel in Isaiah 43 “He says, “Don’t be afraid, because I have saved you. I have called you by name, and you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you cross rivers, you will not drown. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, nor will the flames hurt you. This is because I, the LORD, am your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for His namesake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23