God’s Faithfulness
I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever:
with my mouth will I make known Thy FAITHFULNESS to all generations.
For I have said, Mercy shall be built up forever:
Thy FAITHFULNESS shalt Thou establish in the very heavens (Psalm 89:1-2).
The emphasis of Psalm 89 is the “Faithfulness of God.” No matter what circumstances come into our lives, God remains faithful. The psalmist could look at his present unpleasant circumstances and still see the ultimate fulfillment of all that God had promised to His people.
This past year, many of our friends and loved ones will be spending their first Christmas without their spouse. The memories of the past will be fresh in their hearts. At my age, there should be a certain expectation of God taking home some of the saints who are in the camp of the “aged,” but our hearts still hold on to them.
Our minds remember Lazarus, who Jesus raised from his burial tomb and we remember that our Lord has the power to intervene to bring about supernatural healing. Yet, there was a sense that God had clearly revealed His will and there was something else, a sense of peace and comfort. There was no other explanation except for the will of God, even to the point of thinking, “It is well with my soul!” There was that recognition that He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death (Psalm 68:20).
We realize that we do not often truly lay hold of God in fervent, persevering, faith-believing prayer until we are facing certain issues of crises in our lives. Dr. Tony Evans wrote, “Sometimes God allows something in our lives that only He can fix so that we will understand that He is the One Who can fix it!” This is a great truth and yet we sometimes feel let down if God’s way of fixing it is not the way we would have fixed it if we had that opportunity.
This emphasizes our need to recognize that God is faithful and that His ways are absolutely and always perfect (Psalm 18:30). Like a good parent who saw to our needs as little children, God knows what is best for us, even though we may not be able to see it all from His perspective. He is still on the throne and we would all confess that our desire would be that He carry out all His plans and purposes in our lives. If the Lord allowed a long-term illness prior to the death of our loved ones, most of us would have experienced a fresh experience of communion with our Lord, a greater intimate relationship not often experienced in the past.
There are times that the devil may think he has been victorious when the death of a believer occurs. Jesus spoke of a grain of wheat falling into the ground and dying and yet clearly this was not the end (John 12:24). While Jesus was speaking of His own death, His words remind us that a seed sown produces a rich spiritual harvest. In the passing of believers, we recognize that they precede us into the greatest possible joy imaginable in the presence of the Lord. Certainly, we would not deny them that privilege!
Death brings life and for those of us who remain, the closer we are to the Lord, the greater is our knowledge that our loved ones are experiencing what they longed for — “…to be with Christ, which is far better” (Philippians 1:23).
Thomas Chisholm wrote, just prior to his death, “I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant keeping God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care which have filled me with astonishing gratefulness.” He also wrote something dear to all of us:
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father!
There is no shadow of turning with Thee:
Thou changes not, Thy compassions, they fail not:
As Thou has been Thou forever will be.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided,
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.
- And the heavens shall praise Thy wonders, O LORD: Thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints (Psalm 80:5).
- LORD God of hosts, Who is a strong LORD like unto Thee? or to Thy faithfulness round about Thee (Psalm 89:8).
- But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted (Psalm 89:24).
All the promises of God will be completely fulfilled for our God is faithful. For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways (Psalm 91:11). When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee (Isaiah 43:2).
At the Christmas celebration, there will be the temptation to think that your loved one is missing. Indeed not! You know with whom they abide and your own heart will continue to hold on to them as you recall how dearly you loved your loved one. Recognize that being with the Lord, your loved one is not missing anything. Consider their perspective being with the Lord who came to this earth to make their very presence with Him possible. They are experiencing the joy of the Lord as never before which is a good reason for us to be experiencing His joy in our lives as well.
Pray for those who have lost loved ones in this past year. Pray that their Christmas celebration will be truly a time of special blessing.
Those of you have lost loved ones, recognize that their absence is only temporary, that we also will have the same privilege they are experiencing. Thank the Lord in prayer for the time you did share with them here. Thank Him for the blessing and joy that they are now experiencing. Then thank Him that He is our eternal refuge as well even praying, Even so, come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20).
George Stiekes serves as a Lay Pastor at Bethany Bible Church in Hendersonville, NC. See here for a more complete bio of brother Stiekes extensive ministry. We republish his material by permission.