Good Day, Meetpastordan Readers…I love writing about this topic because it gives hope to everyone. There are multiple references to God’s faithfulness in His Word, because “LOVE” is His very essence, and faithfulness is one of “loves” manifestations. Psalm 33:4 presents this very succinctly: “For the Word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does.” The fact that His Word is “right and true” tells us that God cannot change, nor forgo any of His multiple promises, because to do so would call into question another of His attributes… “Truth.” God’s attributes of “Love” and “Truth” both manifest themselves in the following ways: forgiveness, mercy, grace, compassion, kindness, goodness, acceptance, and of course, faithfulness! In my mind, these qualities are wrapped up in what are often called “His Majestic qualities…His power; His glory!” While we can most likely understand the definition of these words, wrapping our minds around what they mean from God’s perspective often stretches us to the max!
Many times, Scripture can be taken out of context, or simply misunderstood. For instance, we are told that “God is faithful to those who are faithful to Him.” Let’s examine that verse from the back to the front. “To those who are faithful to Him” refers to those who are in line with His will. The first part of that verse is His promise to us, but that promise is predicted on whether we are in line with His will. For instance, when we are praying to God and asking for financial favor, or spiritual healing, or strength to win the race, if we have unresolved spiritual issues in our own lives, we might not see an answer to that request. “Why”, you ask? Matthew 5:23-24 addresses that situation. “So, if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.”
Two issues that can stand in the way of receiving blessings from God are unforgiveness and doubt. God wants our commitment to Him; He wants us to depend on Him rather than relying on our own self-will. In fact, His sole purpose for giving us the indwelling Holy Spirit is so that we can accomplish more through the Spirit than we ever could through our own best effort. When we call Him into action, He will empower us to rise above our circumstances or our feelings. (Important point: The Holy Spirit does not do it for us. He doesn’t change our circumstances or our feelings, but He does “empower us” to rise above the decadence of this world. As it tells us in James 1:3-4, “When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. But when you make your petition to God, be sure that your faith is in God alone! Do not waiver, for a person with divided loyalty (meaning, one who is plagued with doubt) is as unsettled as a wave on the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.”
The more we choose to believe that what God said is true, the more our faith grows. But we have to remember, the words on the page are only a vehicle of communication; what is of utmost relevance is Who spoke the words. For example, when Jairus heard that his daughter had died, Jesus’ response to him could appear to be flippant. “Don’t be afraid; trust Me”. (Mark 5:36) But because Jesus is Jesus, and because Jairus came to Him specifically to ask for miraculous healing, Jesus’ response reaffirmed Jairus’ faith.
However, if Joe Schmo, a politician, said to his audience, “Don’t be afraid; trust me”, would those words have the same impact? I believe not. “Why” you ask? Because Jesus was known for miraculous healings; politicians, including Joe Schmo, most likely have made promises they did not fulfill. The power of God’s promises is in the fact that God is the author of the words! As followers of Jesus Christ, we know and have experienced His promises through His faithfulness. If He said He would, He does; if He said we can, we can! His faithfulness equals increased faith in us.
I wrote last week about the dilemma plaguing our culture, and I posed this question: “In this crazy, mixed-up world in which we are now living, how can we know who or what to trust?” I went on to say that in this state of quandary, there is a preponderance of uneasiness, doubt, fear, depression, anxiety or even hopelessness. The statistics relating to addictions, divorces, psychosomatic illnesses and suicides substantiate that last statement. Unfortunately, no one is immune from the fall-out of unease, doubt and fear.
Having made that statement of truth, unpleasant as it is, I now want to provide the “hope” promised in the first sentence of this blog. God, the Creator of the universe, the Creator of the world, the Majestic God, our Creator wants nothing more than a relationship with EACH ONE OF US! He has done ALL of the work necessary for each of us to inherit eternal life. He paid your sin-ransom with the blood of His Son, and He has gifted you with the Holy Spirit so you can become the person He created you to be…even in this fallen world.
God is faithful to those who are faithful to Him. Throughout the Bible, God has made hundreds of promises. He did this because He loves to bless us. Some promises are Truths telling what He will do for us: For instance, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:8), or “Nothing can separate us from His love.” (Romans 8:38) Other promises require an action on our part. For instance, “If you come humbly before the Lord and admit your dependence on Him, He will lift you up and give you honor” or “If you follow my teachings, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) God wants us to depend on Him. The more we do that, He is faithful to provide what He promised. That is why we sing, “Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with Thee, Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not, As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.” (Chris Rice, author)
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May God Bless You abundantly,
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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