Faithful

I USUALLY WHISPER “GOOD MORNING” to the Lord when I wake up. I never wonder whether He’s there; He always is. God’s faithfulness is as sure as the sun in the sky each morning.

Amid life’s distractions, we need to remember God’s promise that He will be faithful every day. Years ago, I memorized Bible verses about God’s faithfulness and taught them to my children. I encouraged my kids to take the verses with them as they travel through life—so they can recall God’s faithfulness when circumstances are hard, when the workload is heavy, or when the pain is intense.

We often pass down family heirlooms to our children, but even more significant are the spiritual truths we plant in their hearts. One such truth for our family is found in the eight verses of Psalm 121. Shortly after we moved to the Philippines, Bob was away preaching, with no means of communicating with us at home. I clearly recall asking God for a reminder of His faithfulness, as my four young children and I attempted to cope with unfamiliar circumstances. One morning I opened my Bible to this psalm and added a simple tune to help us memorize it. We needed it in our minds so the Holy Spirit could enable us to apply its truths to our lives. Remaining confident of God’s faithfulness was essential for all of us!

When my oldest grandchild, Claire, was five, she called with a surprise for me. In her sweet voice, she sang to me the whole psalm, one she called a “Grandma song.” I cried tears of joy! She lived on a different mission field than her mother did when she was growing up, but Claire and her family also needed reminders of God’s faithfulness:

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

From where shall my help come?

My help comes from the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to slip;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

Will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade on your right hand.

The sun will not smite you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

The LORD will protect you from all evil;

He will keep your soul.

The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in

From this time forth and forever.

Overwhelming challenges can rob us of our hope unless a trustworthy security guard is in place. We have God’s personal guarantee that we will find hope when we recall the truth that His love never ceases and His compassion never ends. We’ll have hope to believe that when we fail and when people around us fail, God’s love and compassion never will. The following verses, written humanly by the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah and supernaturally by the Holy Spirit of God, serve to protect our minds and hearts and assure us of our secure hope:

This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The LORD’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

God’s responsibility is to guarantee His faithful love and mercy every morning. Our part is to recall this truth to our minds, especially when our hope begins to waver. The promised result of remembering these verses is hope. When we possess hope, it overflows to influence the people in our spheres with the life-impacting assurance of God’s faithfulness.

One person Bob and I can encourage with God’s promise to remain faithful is Ted, a neighbor who handles some of our farm chores. Even before Bob mentions a task, Ted senses the need and is on the job. Faithful and kind, Ted closely resembles the God he serves. Ted counts on God’s faithful mercy as he cares for his dear wife, who suffers from advanced dementia. We can’t predict whether our assignment will be as challenging as Ted’s, but Ted would tell you that God is faithful to extend His love and compassion for every challenge of every day.

REFLECTION

Spend a few minutes reflecting on God’s faithfulness to you during the challenges you face now. It will be worth the time required to cement the truth about God’s faithfulness in your mind. Consider memorizing a passage about God’s faithfulness, such as Lamentations 3:21-23, in your favorite version of the Bible. Then sing the refrain of this great old hymn about God’s faithfulness:

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto Me!^a