THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD

Have you ever had a friend surprise you by unexpectedly changing his mind on something he said he was absolutely committed to? I’m not talking about a casual friend, I’m talking about someone you had known for years and considered a close friend. When such a thing occurs, the surprise comes when the person suddenly declares, “No, I’m not going to do that. Instead, I’m going in a totally different direction.”

If this has happened to you, perhaps it was a long-time business partner who “out of the blue” decided to end your business agreement. Perhaps it was a spouse who broke your marriage covenant and surprised and shocked you. The other person “broke faith” with you and now your view of a “faithful friend” has an element of doubt attached to it.

In the natural, our tendency is to view the statement “God is faithful” with the same caution that we have when we speak of that friend who suddenly changed his mind on something we thought was settled.

 

Attached to the bottom of my PC monitor is a little card with Psalm 89:8-9 written on it: “O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you? You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them” (ESV).

For months I have quoted these verses aloud and spent time meditating (thinking) about what they mean.

Let me share a few insights that have enriched me:

Verse 8 — “Lord God of hosts, who is mighty (strong) as you are, O Lord?”

This is a reference to Exodus 15:11: “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” 

This is from the song that Moses and Israel sang in worship when God brought them through the Red Sea and then destroyed the Egyptian army that was pursuing them. The Psalmist is declaring that no one is as mighty as God. That might was demonstrated in the deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt and then in the utter destruction of the Egyptian army.

Verse 8 of Psalm 89 continues: “With your faithfulness all around you.”

Here are several things to consider as we attempt to get a grip on “the faithfulness of God.”

1.    God is not faithful part of the time, He is faithful all the time! In the Hebrew language, faith and faithfulness are related words and convey meanings such as “to strengthen,” or “to support.” In 2 Kings 18:16 this is the Hebrew word that is used about the pillars that provide support for the doors of the temple.

God is an eternally firm (faithful) support for His people. “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations” (Deuteronomy 7:9). Did you see that? It says He is faithful to “a thousand generations.”

God is faithful all the time!

2.    Faithfulness is a part of the character of God, an integral portion of who He is.

“With your faithfulness all around you.” The verbal picture here is that God is completely surrounded by faithfulness, similar to how we would wear a garment. If faithfulness were a piece of clothing, it would completely cover Him.

Isaiah 11:5 “Righteousness shall be the belt of His waist, and faithfulness the belt of His loins.” In Oriental dress, the belt around the waist gave stability to the whole ensemble; to “gird the loins” was to prepare for work. Therefore, when it says that faithfulness is the belt of His loins, it means that faithfulness is how He does everything!

Psalms 89:9: “You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them.” What does this have to do with the faithfulness of God? Let me illustrate it this way. In Mark 6:45-52, Jesus instructed His disciples to get into a boat and go before Him to the other side of the lake. The disciples did as Jesus asked and about halfway across they were overtaken by a storm. Fearing for their lives, they began to panic. In the midst of the storm, the disciples were shocked when they saw Jesus walking on the water toward them. The disciples reacted in fear, thinking, “This must be a ghost.” But then Peter realized that it was Jesus coming to rescue them—and He did!

This is a perfect picture of the faithfulness of God. Jesus sent His disciples on a mission and He was not going to forget them in the middle of the lake in the midst of a storm. A faithful God does not do that. He didn’t do it then and He won’t do it now!

God is faithful all of the time. In faithfulness God will not allow the storms of life to totally overwhelm you. He would not be God if He did!