Tag: God is faithful

God Is Faithful

On By vickleaIn Characteristics of God, God’s blessings, Scripture3 Comments

I am feeling a little melancholy this morning because my devotional is all about God’s being faithful and as I meditated, I realized that God has always been faithful to me, but I keep falling short. But even in that realization, God is faithful to point out to me lovingly that He is still working on perfecting me.

When I am angry about some small thing (and aren’t all things small in the face of eternity), God is faithful and waits for me to calm down.

When I am feeling overwhelmed, whether about health issues or family problems or just things coming at me fast and furiously, God is faithful and quietly waits for me to acknowledge that He is my peace.

When I am sad about the loss of a friend or the events in the world, God is faithful, whispering in my ear that He is still in control.

When I am so tired that I don’t think I can take another step or do one more thing, God is faithful and encourages me with His strength.

And even now, when I am disappointed about all of my failures, God is faithful to remind me of where I began and where He has faithfully brought me to. I am not a finished work, and He has always been faithful to continue to work with me.

Meditation on this verse can give you astounding insight into your relationship with God. Read the first line and put emphasis on the word “my.” Yes, God is the God of the Universe, but He is MY God and He deserves all praise and honor. His faithfulness is always perfect as He has a plan and does wonderful things in my life, many that I don’t see and recognize at the time. God is faithful…all the time, in all ways.

This is a challenge I am making to myself, that no matter what is happening around me or what I am going through, I want to be faithful to praise God. It’s easy to look at circumstances and concentrate on all of the bad things that are happening. I want to be the one who looks at the circumstances and says, “Praise the Name of the Lord.” Not because what is happening is always good, but because God is always good and always present and always faithful!

Can you think of the ways that God has been faithful in your life? Please take some time today to praise Him for His faithfulness. God doesn’t change and is and will always be faithful.

God Keeps His Covenant

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

From the YouVersion Bible App, “A God Who Is Faithful”, Day 3

Guard the King

Athaliah, whose name means “the Lord is exalted,” did not live up to her name. As the nation unraveled, she continued the murderous pattern of many of the previous pagan leaders. When her son (King Ahaziah) died, she murdered every remaining royal heir and took the throne for herself. But she missed one heir: young Joash, her grandson and the son of Ahaziah. Jehosheba, Ahaziah’s half sister, was married to the high priest and stood in a perfect location to rescue and hide Joash. Athaliah may not have even known of Joash’s existence, which protected him from her rampage. The Lord protected Joash, ensuring that he would inherit the promises God made to David. Once again, David’s royal line endured against all human odds through God’s covenant faithfulness (2Sa 7:16).

In the same way, God protected the infant Jesus from death at the hands of King Herod and allowed him to secure the Davidic throne forever (Mt 2:13 – 20). The entire story of the Bible testifies to God’s faithfulness to fulfill his promises and establish his rule and reign.

Today’s Prayer: 

Jesus, I may not always see how the pieces of the puzzle will fit together but help me to always believe that they do. Thank you for your perfect will. Amen.

My Thoughts

I really like the analogy today in the prayer of life being like a puzzle. Sometimes I think I am working out a puzzle in my life that is missing a few pieces, but God knows where all of the pieces are and He is putting it all together for me, in His timing. I don’t like the uncertainty of now knowing what is going to happen next, but I can trust the faithfulness of the God who does know and is working everything out. He protected a young king in order to continue the line of David as He promised. And He warned Joseph to flee with Jesus to Egypt in order to protect Jesus from Herod. God is always working, even when we don’t see it. And He will fulfill His plan for me in spite of all of the obstacles that may pop up. The puzzle of my life isn’t done yet, but I can trust the one who is putting it all together.

God Is Faithful

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App3 Comments

One of the things that I lacked as I was growing up was a constant love. My mom loved me, as long as I did what pleased her and made her look good to her friends. My dad loved me as long as I didn’t cost him too much. When I became a Christian in my early 20’s, for the first time I knew a love that was consistent and constant, without any conditions except that I accept His love and gift of salvation. God is always faithful, even when I have turned away or I am not as on fire as I once was. God never changes and His love has always reminded, like a lighthouse that I can see clearly or a loving hug from someone dear to me. He is always there, always loves me and I am blessed to know that His love will never fail.

From Promises to Fulfilled Covenants

God made promises to Abraham in Genesis about his lineage, and He gave the Ten Commandments to Moses in Exodus. He made a covenant to David in 2 Samuel, and declared a New Covenant to come in the book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

All of those stories point to the arrival of Jesus Christ—where all God’s covenant promises are fulfilled (2 Corinthians 1:20).

These stories remind us of God’s faithfulness (Romans 15:4). We don’t have to look very far to see:

“That the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”
Deuteronomy 7:9

God’s love is faithful; it is constant. It endures through the generations. In a world where love is often conditional and transactional, given and withdrawn based on our actions, God’s love stands apart. It’s not tethered to the ups and downs of our circumstances. It doesn’t waver with our feelings. And it certainly doesn’t hinge on our performance.

God’s love is firmly rooted in His unchanging character.

So even if you’re on the highest mountaintop of success or in the deepest valley of despair—His love remains constant, an ever-present source of strength for those who love Him.

Today, let the words of Deuteronomy 7:9 sink deep into your soul and remember: Our God is not distant or indifferent. He is near, and His love is faithful, enduring through a thousand generations.

Remembering

On By vickleaIn Scripture6 Comments

As I have aged, I have discovered that I am not as capable of remembering things from the past as I once could. The fog of having had a stroke has not helped, so that has been my go-to excuse when someone says, “Remember when…?” Most of the time, I honestly don’t remember. But one very important thing that I want to always remember is God’s steadfast love for me and all of the miracles that He has performed in my life.

One of the ways we can recall all of God’s wonderful acts on our behalf is to testify about them, to friends, at church, in a journal. Just put the words out there so that others can share in the joy you had when you saw God working on your behalf.

Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is healing from my stroke. In January of 2015 when I had a massive stroke (the occupational therapist told me that it was a 19 out of 21 on their scale, whatever their scale was), I could not move most of my right side, could not speak without stuttering and lost my memory for speaking Spanish. The OT encouraged me that the brain is made in such a way that it would find new pathways to get around the ones that had died when I had the stroke. Well, she didn’t say it, but I did, in my mind. I am fearfully and wonderfully made and God would make a way for me to function again. I had to practice walking, telling my legs to take steps until it became natural for me again. I practiced reading, much more slowly than I had ever done before, but I could do it. And I got out old Spanish books from my high school years and practiced my Spanish. Oh, yeah, and I couldn’t write except for illegible scribbles. My physical therapist was a real gift from God. He had been my therapist after my knee surgery and my broken elbow and when he saw on the schedule that a patient was coming in who had had a stroke and saw my name, he told me he didn’t know what to expect. So, with love and patience, he worked with me in all ways possible. He brought out a whiteboard for me to practice writing on. I did OT puzzles and other exercises to build my dexterity in my hands. It amazed me that my left hand was faster than my right because my right had to be trained again. After about three months, I was able to return to teaching part-time and by five months after my stroke, I was working full-time and discharged from PT. Amazing, right? God is the God of miracles and He gave me back my speech, my ability to walk and my ability to use and teach Spanish. Some would say, “Well, of course. The OT said that your brain would find new pathways.” There is no “of course” to it! My PT said that my progress was like a miracle because I progressed so rapidly. To this day, I know to Whom to give the credit for my recovery. God gets all the kudos because not only did He make me to begin with, He healed me when I had an unimaginably scary stroke. I will admit that sometimes my brain fogs and I know that’s the sign that I need to rest, to pull away and just be quiet, whether that means napping or going to bed extra early. But I continue to be amazed each day that I awaken because I know that it is God who loves me enough to allow me to still be here on earth. Since my stroke, I have had four new grandchildren born, and I am so blessed to be able to meet them and get to know them. In fact, Penny was born only a month after my stroke and I told my PT that I needed to get better so I could go meet her. I did! I met her in March, when she was only a few weeks old. Why am I writing all of this? I’m writing my testimony for me to remember and for you to know what a miracle-working God we serve. I am thankful every day for my life that He gave back to me, and I hope that each of you is thankful for all that he has done for you.

I am so thankful! God is no respecter of persons and what He did for me, He can do for anyone.

“You Are Faithful” by Hillsong Worship