His faithfulness remains...

        Last week I looked at the bridge of the song, “You hold it all together,” by Maverick City Music. It reminds us that God is the Author of our story and that He has a hand in it.
         This week, I’m looking at the chorus which says:
               And I believe that I will see
              The goodness of the Lord
              I’m confident as seasons change
              Your faithfulness remains
In Psalm 27:13 David says, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” David was being faced with various trials and challenges yet through it all he had learned to encourage himself in the Lord as he put his trust in Him. His hope wasn’t in his strength or ability to fight the battles and win. It was in his confidence that his God would take care of him. It was a declaration of faith and trust that while he was still alive God would continue to be good to him.
         How many of us have that kind of confidence in our God? When the challenges come, let’s be real, it can be difficult to see God’s goodness operating in the midst of it. Recently, God has been helping me to shift my focus whereby instead of focusing on discouraging circumstances around me He is helping me to look to Him. The situation may not change immediately but as I shift my focus to my God and His ability and goodness, I actually feel encouraged, because my eyes are on the One who is the source of my strength.
         Psalm 23:6 also speaks of God’s goodness: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” This psalm comes from the same author, David. What we know of David’s life is that it was a life filled with its share of attacks, enemies, fear and discouragement. I’m sure some of us can relate. Yet, it is interesting that David once again speaks of his certainty of God’s goodness in his life. Where was David’s focus? Certainly not on his troubles. Whenever challenges came he had gotten into the habit of looking to his God for help, guidance and strength. It was a life of dependence on God. It was far from perfect, but David knew where his help came from. No wonder why he was considered a man after God’s own heart!
         But, let’s look at the final lines of the chorus which say, “I’m confident as seasons change, Your faithfulness remains.” I think this is the key right here. No matter what comes our way, no matter what trials we face, no matter if we fail ... God. Is. Faithful. It’s not about our faithfulness, because we fail in that area so often. Even when “seasons” change God remains the same. It is said that the only constant thing in life is change. While that may be so, the Bible says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). God doesn’t change, His Word doesn’t change. Circumstances, situations, people’s opinions can’t move or change Him, He remains the same, He remains constant. That’s a good thing, because we all need something or someone that we can rely on. 
         In recent times, I have found myself constantly saying that God is faithful. Yes, I am all too familiar with the expression “God is good,” but somehow because of what I have faced I find myself not necessarily disagreeing with this phrase but choosing to lean instead on the reality of how reliable my God really is. I can count on Him. He is not going to change unexpectedly on me. He won’t say one thing one minute and then something else the next. He is not going to act one way one minute and act a different way the next. Even when we don’t deserve it He loves us. Even when we can’t see why, He wants and chooses the best for us. Our God is unchanging, reliable ... faithful! When I look back on all He has done and continues to do for me I am in awe! He doesn’t have to be that good but He is. He doesn’t have to have my back, but He does! Think about it. Even on our worst days, God is there. We may not see or feel Him but He is there, faithfully loving us, faithfully guiding us, faithfully covering us, faithfully fighting for us!!! 
         God’s faithfulness remains...
 
         If you have not invited Jesus Christ into your life to be your Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to make that step and allow Him to be a part of your life. In a world of change and uncertainty, we all need an unchanging, reliable God who will be there for us, who will have our backs, who will never leave us or give up on us.

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