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God is Faithful

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God is faithful at all times and in all things. A Christian's richest moments are when we see his faithfulness clearly and explicitly, and our loneliest ones when we don't, and feel apart and abandoned. I cannot imagine the depth of sorrow Adam and Eve experienced upon their exile from the Garden of Eden. At one moment, in perfect fellowship with the Almighty, and in another under the crippling weight of depravity. And yet, God remained faithful to them, his creation.

Our Virginia air is beginning to cool a bit in the mornings and the dew falls heavy on our nearby fields. I was told by a friend once that the fresh dew is his daily reminder of God's renewed mercy, made fresh every day. While walking my dog early one morning this week, I thought a bit more on this idea. Often times I'll walk her and listen to scripture. Most recently I was in 2 Chronicles, and just before making the turn into Ezra, I had a bit of a revelation. The stories of the Old Testament are stories of individuals and tribes, of conquest and deliverance, but the overarching narrative is the fastidious nature of God's faithfulness. Each character or story is considered in relationship with God; he is the constant while every character passes through. God's people don't always see his hand, but the story is always God at work, sometimes even in spite of his people. By the time one finishes 2 Chronicles, they have read a great deal of royal lineage, but the plot line never really seems about them, rather God's faithfulness to be God in that time and in his way.

One of our great challenges as Christians in this life is having the eyes to see how God is being faithful to us in each season. We live in a world intent on clouding our eyes and circumstances can cause us to quickly doubt that which we know God has long labored to show true. In a recent sermon, our pastor was speaking on this idea, and gave great advice on how to respond when we feel distant or doubtful: with thanks. He suggests that we find something we can point to in gratitude, even if ordinary, and that we celebrate it with our Creator. These seemingly small things are also the richness of his creation and reminders of his faithfulness in a faithless world.

Hindsight has been an acute lens to see God's faithfulness in my life. Memories serve as signposts in the rear view mirror, affirming my path and assuring me of plans for the future. A future not reliant upon performance or chance, but luckily, fully secured in Christ. I have seen that faithfulness in the provision of work and the gift of community. From my college fellowship, to my DC church, to Westminster Presbyterian, and now with our family of believers in Charlottesville. Through it, I get to look back and name each way God has been faithful to me. Though not novel, looking back at my story to see the faithfulness of God is almost always reassuring. In fact, that is also certainly one of the reasons why daily scriptural reading has such rich value.

But I needn't always rely on hindsight for a glimpse of divine faithfulness. It's a bit one dimensional, isn't it? Instead, consider how God is revealing his faithfulness to us (me) at every minute of the present day? It could be found in a hymn, perhaps "For the Beauty of the Earth". It could be in the warm hug of a loved one. Maybe you'll wake up tomorrow morning and see the dew in a new way.

May the peace of God that surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds until he comes again.

2 Comments

Your post was so encouraging Blake! I love the OT stories because the one big picture story of a faithful God is our greatest comfort! Your words reminded me of Lewis' quote, "take comfort in your smallness, oh small one." (And "For the Beauty of the Earth" is a fav!:)

Great post Blake. Thanks for sharing. Hope ya'll are well!

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