GRACE ANCHORED JOURNEY

These past mornings, I found myself singing silently the song that has been a theme of my life these past months. The song goes like this,

”Lord, You’ve been faithful through all these years; through every joy, through every tear. You’ve kept your promises; you’ve seen us through. Now keep us faithful Lord to You – Now keep us faithful Lord to You.”

 As I have struggled with so many things, God has never failed to make me in awe of His faithfulness and love. Countless times I had found myself just crying and thanking God for being there for me no matter what. Without Him, I could not tell where I am now.  Ever since God brought me to a different path, my life has completely changed. Though, along the way, there was a constant battle of resistance and submission, in the end, it His faithfulness that prevailed. He is my constant in this troubled world and someone I can always run to at any moment.

What Does God Is Faithful Mean?

 Psalm 23 is one of my favorite chapters in the book of Psalms. I am amazed how David greatly illustrated God as our Shepherd and us being the sheep. Verse 4 says that “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me,” gave a new meaning in my Christian life. That even though we face uncertainties, more so, death, God remains the same. He will always be true to His Word. Thus, in Him, we should not fear. In confidence, we know that once we go astray, He will draw us back to Him. We never want “rod and staff” because in our understanding, it means unpleasant correction. But as sheep who always rely on the Shepherd, these rod and staff will comfort us because it will give us the assurance that when we trust Him, we will be confident that nothing can harm us along the way.

Through changing of times, God has never failed to be faithful and true to His Word. He indeed will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 10:25).

God’s Faithfulness Through Different Times

As I read the story of Israelite and how God has delivered them from the hand of the Egyptians, I was touched by God’s love, compassion, and patience. Despite their constant changing of hearts and minds, the Lord fulfilled His promise of deliverance. These Israelites always relied on their own understanding of things. God has showed Himself to them countless times but all those times, they never appreciated God. Their eyes saw the miracles but it remained a mystery to them because of their wicked hearts. Their hearts were not fixed. Their view of God remained shallow and short-lived.

I believe that at some point, we had been in an seemingly impossible situation and could hardly see God’s hand. But recall that moment, was God became unfaithful to you? Was He not faithful enough to deliver you? When I come to this point of doubt, I look back on God’s testimonies to His people and find myself asking, “Will I let myself be like these Israelites?” God has unfolded their stories, so we could learn a lesson.

Despite it, I know that there are still countless moments of stubbornness. There are times when all I could do is to focus on my situation rather than trust God’s faithfulness to fulfill what He has promised. I become shortsighted and narrow minded. Nonetheless, I am always amazed at how the Lord orchestrates deliverance. I would always end up confessing that sin to the Lord.

Remember God’s compassion and love to the Israelites regardless of their stubbornness. However, their story is a great encouragement for us not to trust our own understanding but Him. In whatever circumstance or season we are in, lean on God’s faithfulness. It is the only sure thing that we can hold onto.

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19

This is a promise of God to us to those who put their trust on Him completely. Imagine David who had been through so much. We saw how he relied on God’s promises and experienced victories over his enemies.

We, too have a lot of troubles in life. But it is not the end. For I see that the more we experience hardships and trials, the more we see how great our God is. The more we go through impossibilities, the more we see the depth of His deliverance.

Are you in the season of trials? Perhaps you are in the muddy phase of discouragement and hopelessness. Or maybe in the season of giving up and doubting God’s sovereignty. Allow yourself then to recall God’s faithfulness in the past. That will motivate you to once again, trust Him in the midst of confusion and uncertainty. Learn to lean on His never-ending faithfulness.

“Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations. . .” Deuteronomy 7:9

Thank God that His faithfulness does not depend on who we are but based on who He is. Seasons may change and pass by, still He is a God who cares for every detail of our life. By reminding ourselves of His character, we will be fueled to turn those ugly moments to something praiseworthy because of Him.

When those narrow mindedness comes and we think that God has abandoned us, turn the pages of the bible to these verses:

Psalm 34:17 “ The righetous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.”

2 Thessalonians 3:3 “ But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from all evil.”

Psalm 119: 90 “Thy faithfulness is unto all generations; thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.”

Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised.”

My dear friend, taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). May you always find Him faithful in your life!