Faithful One

“Know that Yahweh your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands.” Deuteronomy 7:9

The Lord has been faithful to His word from the creation of time until now. What He has said, He has done. He has cared for and provided for His people through every covenant He has made. He has held to His promises for love and discipline. And He continues to be faithful in preparing a final kingdom for His children at the end of time.

“It is good to praise Yahweh,
to sing praise to Your name,
Most High,
to declare Your faithful love
in the morning
and Your faithfulness at night”
Psalm 92:1-2

This is known as the Sunday Psalm. Because of this, my husband’s grandfather began to read this chapter every Sunday morning at breakfast. Michael’s father has also kept the tradition. Since we have breakfast with them every Sunday, we get the privilege of hearing this Psalm as well. Much of this chapter has become memorized because of its repetition.

Something very special has come from that time. I found myself repeating the first two verses many times when I went to bed at night. This led me to praising the Lord for His love and faithfulness that day. Then it turned into meditating on the ways the Lord had been faithful to me, which led to be going to sleep with a thankful heart.

The Lord is always faithful, even in the hard times. Take some time to map out your life. Write down all the highs and lows that have happened. Once you have everything recorded, go back and see where the Lord worked and ministered to you in those times. How did He provide and celebrate with you in the good times? How did He prove Himself as the Almighty, Living God in the hard times? By this activity, you should be able to see all the ways that the Lord was faithful to you in your own life.

Jesus proved to be faithful to us in that He made Himself human and the least of any kind of reputation. Then He died a brutal death on our behalf so that we could have the choice to not face the consequences of our sin. He is faithful to continue to lead us towards His kingdom and an eternal life with Him.

“Because of the Lord’s faithful love
we do no perish,
for His mercies never end.
They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness!
I say: The Lord is my portion,
therefore I will put my hope in Him”
Lamentations 3:22-24

We can trust the Lord at all times because of the very fact that He is faithful. These were the words that came to mind as I thought about what faithfulness means in light of the character of God:

Unchanging – the Lord’s character never changes. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

Trustworthy – We can trust Him because He holds Himself accountable to His promises. “Yes, I have spoken; so I will bring it about. I have planned it; I will also do it.” – Isaiah 46:11b

Steadfast – Miriam Webster dictionary describes steadfast as meaning “firmly fixed in place; immovable” The Lord is a steady fortress. He is our rock. He will never be taken down or become old or worn. He is dependable. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for his steadfast love endures forever” Psalm 136:1

Committed – The Lord is committed to His bride, the church. He has proven faithful in His love and vow of marriage to the Israelites and the church. He has gone to prepare a place for us and is zealous for us. He holds to the covenantal vow He’s made for us. “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.” John 14:1-3

Slow to Anger – It may seem strange that I’ve chosen this one, but it shows that the Lord isn’t easily swayed in His faithfulness because of emotions. He holds to His word, not His feelings. “Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth,” Exodus 34:6

The Lord’s faithfulness affects all things and is driven by His love. He loves us. He has been, is, and will always be faithful to His word and to us. May this build your hope, love, and confidence in Him today.