Great is Thy Faithfulness

“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him'” Lamentations 3: 22-24

  When I wake in the morning I do my best to catch myself before my feet hit the ground to thank the Lord for this new day. Seeing as His compassions are new every morning, like this verse reminds us, I want to go into my day with eyes that look for Him in the events that unfold. I also don’t want to lose sight of His faithfulness in all circumstances.

  Last month I had the blessing to share in leading worship at church with “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” I reflected on the words “All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.” It was especially touching after a recent visit with family. My aunt and uncle had only just left two days before that worship team rehearsal and my uncle’s words were still fresh on my heart.

  A little context: my mother gave no warning when she took us from my father’s family and moved us 1,650 miles to her home state. My uncle told me of how heartbroken everyone was to have us ripped away, but then how what had happened was rarely spoken about afterwards. He was upset that there didn’t seem to be more of a fight to see us returned, but, as he had nothing to go on, he had to let the issue drop. This past December was the only real time we’ve had to establish our relationship in nearly forty years. We talked about so much in the six days we spent together. It was overwhelming at times, but also cathartic. He expressed that the experience had strengthened his faith. He could see that, although he had been prevented from being in our lives to make sure we were cared for, the Lord had me in His hands and was providing what I needed. With that fresh in my mind, my spirit lifted the words of the song to the ears of my beaming Heavenly Father.

  I will acknowledge that it is not always easy to see God’s faithfulness when you are stuck in the mire. The Lord knows there has been times my anguish brought me to my knees. Yet look at the verse with which I opened this entry. It is from Lamentations, which comes from the root word lament. Lamentations defined in the Oxford dictionary is the passionate expression of grief or sorrow. This book of the Bible was written during Israel’s captivity in Babylon. In the midst of their despair, God is listening to their grievances, and the fact that they are able to come to Him in that posture is enough for the writer to tell of the LORD’s faithfulness. I had the honor of listening to a dear woman share her painful story of losing her son. She said that she still cannot bring herself to sing the words “It is well with my soul,” because she was not there. I would tell her that that is okay, and even if it takes a lifetime God will never leave her or forsake her. He is faithful even when we lament how unfair this life can be or how broken we feel.

“The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.” Psalms 145: 17-19

  Faithful to strengthen. Faithful to forgive. Faithful to deliver. There are a whole host of verbs I could write after “Faithful to…” as it relates to God. That just goes to show how He is not absent, because verbs are action words. When we say God is faithful it is because we know that He has done and/or is doing something for all those who call Him their LORD. Seek Him in earnest prayer and you will find this to be true. I personally know it is true and will sing it like the psalmist who wrote, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.” (136:1) As well as I will keep singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”