Scripture Reading:
“The Lord’s mercies indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)
“All my life You have been faithful; all my life You have been so, so good.” Whenever we sing this powerful chorus in our church, my eyes inevitably begin to fill with tears! Does this ever happen to you during worship? Lately I began to wonder, “Why does this happen, what are these tears all about?” So I asked God to help me find out.
To begin with, God’s faithfulness is part of His character. He must be true to His nature, and does not change. This is why He is known in both the Old and New Testaments as a covenant keeping God. In Deuteronomy 7:9 He is “God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant to a thousandth generation;” and in Luke 22:20, Jesus told His disciples, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.” Yes, God is truly and forever faithful – hallelujah! – but I found there was more to my tears than that.
I found that even in a church full of worshiping people, when I sing those words, it’s just between God and me. It’s deeply personal. “I’ve known Him as a father and I’ve known Him as a friend.” Lord, all MY life You have been faithful; all MY life you have been so, so good! All my life . . . and this begs the question: What about that life?
Truth be told, I’ve not always been faithful to God, but in those times, He was still faithful to me. The years I spent in rebellion and going my own way like a blinded, lost sheep, He was faithful. The days I spent ignoring Him and reaching out for whatever pleased me, He was faithful. Through every doubt and every fear, every willful sin and unrepentant moment, He was faithful. And every time I returned to Him, He was waiting for me with open arms and received me again in faithfulness, mercy and forgiveness. What magnanimous love! What undeserved goodness! O to know that His unfailing grace is mine, mine for all my life and for all eternity!
And so I stand and sing, hands raised, heart lifted up, lost in overwhelming gratitude and inexpressible love for Him, my wonderful God.
Has God been faithful to you? As we look back and recall His goodness throughout the years of our lives, our suitable and fitting response is to worship Him. Spend some time today in worship, just remind yourself and refresh yourself as to His nature, character, and faithfulness, remembering all He’s done for you and how very much He loves you. Only a simple, thankful heart is required – tissues are optional!
Prayer:
O Lord, please accept my prayer of gratitude and thanks for who you are and all you’ve done for me. I rejoice in your attributes and character, your perfect nature of love and grace. Thank you for creating me to be your child, and for your promise to always be with me. May all honor, glory, thanks and praise be yours from this time forth and forevermore. Amen.