God is Faithful

I’m writing this seed having just returned from my daily walk in the New Forest. I’m discovering paths I didn’t know existed and enjoying new places. Wherever I walk I’m never far from the sound of birds; it remains constant. They’re getting on with their lives! They neither worry nor fear, or store up for the future. Jesus used the birds as an illustration to His disciples of the futility of worry, the faithfulness of God and our value to Him.

We live in challenging times. The issues we face with the corona virus are complex. Pain and anxiety grips our world today. Each of us is faced with different challenges and also new opportunities. Many people worry - they feel anxious, fearful and isolated. However, these emotions don’t change anything but they do block us from the truth that God is faithful. They obscure our view of what God is really like so that our image of God is moulded by our circumstances and experiences instead of by truth. However we see God doesn’t change who God is. Our experiences don’t change who He is neither do our troubled emotions.

The faithfulness of God is a repeated theme in Scripture. It is frequently linked with His unfailing love as in our verse for today. He remains faithful forever. He is faithful in all that He does. Even if we are faithless he remains faithful. His character is constant and consistent; he doesn’t change for a moment, his truth doesn’t change, his ways do not change and his purposes do not change. When we say God is faithful, it means that He is totally trustworthy. Knowing such perfect faithfulness brings deep security when we trust Him. ‘Trust in the Lord’ is a repeated phrase in the Bible.

My situations change, life is uncertain. I need to know that I can trust God whatever happens. I need to ‘Trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding; in all my ways acknowledge him, and he will make my paths straight’ (Proverbs 3:5-6) Without trust we can become isolated and lonely. Trust is essential for truthful, authentic relationships including our relationship with God, whom Jesus taught us to know as Father. If our trust has been broken in human relationships, it leaves a deep sense of insecurity in the human spirit, a fear of trusting others, including our heavenly Father who expects us to trust Him just as He expects us to love and obey Him.

During this time of isolation, I’ve had time to look back on the faithfulness of God during my long life. I’ve recalled the many specific incidents of His amazing faithfulness. This has filled me with great gratitude and an even deeper knowledge that I can trust Him whatever befalls. Maybe this lockdown time is God’s opportunity for you to look back on your life in a positive way, to concentrate on His unending faithfulness and unfailing love and to bring to Him any issues of broken trust that have hindered you from entering into the joy and security of knowing that He is absolutely faithful.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please forgive me for any time when I have doubted Your faithfulness and failed to trust You. I bring to You situations when my trust has been broken, and pray for Your healing touch as I choose to forgive those responsible. I pray that, by the Holy Spirit, You will change my heart and reveal to me more of Your Father heart. Amen.