Faithfulness of God

And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭34:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?  ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭23:19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Know therefore that Yahweh your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with them who love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations,  Deuteronomy 7:9  WEB

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.  ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭31:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.  ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭22:31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18:30‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does.  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭33:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭36:5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth From the great assembly.  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40:10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭86:15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

O Lord God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You.  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭89:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. ‭‭Psalms ‭100:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭118:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides.  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119:90‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭138:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— He remains faithful forever. Psalms‬ ‭146‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.  ‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3:22-23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.”  ‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:3-4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  ‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.  ‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭10:13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in Him it has always been “Yes.” For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 1:18-20 NIV

He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.  ‭‭I Thessalonians‬ ‭5:24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.  ‭‭II Thessalonians‬ ‭3:3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.  ‭‭II Timothy‬ ‭2:13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.  ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  ‭‭I John‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

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Devotionals

Deuteronomy 31:6  Be strong and courageous, don’t be afraid, nor be scared of them: for Yahweh your God, He it is who does go with you; He will not fail you, nor forsake you. (WEB) Commentary by Barry Adams: Moses gave this exhortation to the nation of Israel just before he was going to leave them and hand the reins over to his trusted friend, Joshua. Moses knew that his beloved people would be facing many ‘giants’ and obstacles as they were finally ready to enter into the Promised Land. He also was aware that Joshua would step out of his shadow to become one of Israel’s greatest captains and he too, needed this word of comfort.  While every believer’s ‘giants’ are different, we are all facing opposition in our daily life. Just as the Israelites needed to be reassured that God would be with them wherever they went, we need to know that this promise is for us too. The reason that we can be strong and courageous is because we know that our God and Father has promised to go with us wherever we go.  He has promised to never fail us nor forsake us. This is something that we can rely on all our lives. No matter what enemies come our way, God has promised to be there and deliver us from evil. My prayer today is that we would all be reminded of the faithfulness of our God and that we could rest in this promise so that  the love of God could drive all fear from our hearts. 

As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.   2 Samuel 22:31; Psalm 18:30 Commentary by David Jeremiah: It is now standard practice in the retail industry for a “100 percent satisfaction guarantee” to be advertised — especially online. Many products ordered over the Internet arrive with a preprinted return label in the box so the product can be easily shipped back to the retailer with a minimum of trouble. The goal is to take the risk out of shopping for the consumer, to encourage the consumer to order a product, test it, and hopefully fall in love with it. Unlike consumer products, God is perfect and has no defects. There is no need for Him to issue a guarantee of satisfaction. Yet God encourages us to take Him at His Word so He can prove His faithfulness — as He did to the Jews who returned from the exile in Persia (Malachi 3:10). Many food retailers allow customers to taste a sample of a food before buying. The psalmist David used that same language when he wrote, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8). If you are having doubts about trusting the Lord, test Him; taste Him and see that He is good. The Christian life is stepping out in faith, believing that God is faithful (2 Corinthians 5:7).

 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.  Psalms 118:1 Our Daily Bread, Commentary by Dennis Fisher: Sometimes when we face times of trouble, we may get spiritual amnesia and forget the grace of God. But a good way of reestablishing a thankful heart is to set aside undistracted time and deliberately remember God’s past provisions for us and give thanks. When the children of Israel found themselves in a barren, hot desert, they developed memory loss about the grace of God. They began to wish they were back in Egypt, enjoying all its foods (Exodus 16:2-3) and later complained about their water supply (Exodus 17:2). They had forgotten the mighty acts of God in their deliverance and how He had showered them with wealth (Exodus 12:36). They were dwelling on their current circumstances and forgetting God’s gracious past provision. The psalmist challenges us: “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (Psalms 118:1). The word mercy means “steadfast love.” It refers to God’s faithfulness. He has promised to be present always to care for His children. By remembering specific ways God has provided for us in the past, we can change our perspective for the better. God’s steadfast love endures forever! Remembering God’s provision for yesterday gives hope and strength for today.

“The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of Thine own hands.”  Psalms 138:8  Commentary from Sermon no. 231   2 January (1859) Charles Spurgeon: There is yet another confession in the text—the Psalmist’s confession that all he has, he has from God. “Forsake not the works of thine own hands.” I will not, however, dwell upon it, but urge you who are believers to go home and cry aloud to God in prayer. Let this be a New Year’s day prayer. “Forsake not the work of thine hands. Father, forsake not thy little child, lest he die by the hand of the enemy. Shepherd, forsake not thy lamb, lest the wolves devour him. Great husbandman, forsake not thy little plant, lest the frost should nip it, and it should be destroyed. Forsake me not, O Lord now, and when I am old and grey headed, O Lord, forsake me not. Forsake me not in my joys, lest I curse God. Forsake me not in my sorrows, lest I murmur against him. Forsake me not in the day of my repentance, lest I lose the hope of pardon, and fall into despair; and forsake me not in the day of my strongest faith, lest my faith degenerate into presumption, and so I perish by my own hand.” Cry out to God, that He would not forsake you in your business, in your family; that He would not forsake you either upon your bed by night or in your business by day. And may God grant, when you and I shall come to the end of this year, we may have a good tale to tell concerning the faithfulness of God in having answered our prayers, and having fulfilled His promise.  For meditation : Do you open up every area of your life to the One who has promised never to forsake His people? Are there any aspects of your relationship with Him which are not all that they should be?: (“ A son honors his father, And a servant his master.  If then I am the Father,  Where is My honor?   And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence?  Says the LORD of hosts To you priests who despise My name.  Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’  -Malachi 1:6)  

His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.  Lamentations 3:22-23 Our Daily Bread, commentary by David Fisher: Yves Congar was just 10 years old when World War I began and the French town where he lived was invaded by the German army. His mother encouraged him to keep a diary, and what resulted was a lucid description of a military occupation, complete with written narrative and colored sketches. His diary recorded a disaster from a child’s perspective. What he witnessed had such a profound effect on him that he felt called to bring others the hope of Christ.Centuries earlier the prophet Jeremiah was an eyewitness to the invasion of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. He wrote down his observations in his “diary”—the book of Lamentations. Despite these distressing times, the prophet found hope in the heart of God. He wrote: “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (3:22-23). At various times, we may experience or witness disasters that feel like hostile forces entering our lives. But these times of trouble do not last forever. And, like Jeremiah, our most sustaining hope is to reflect upon the faithfulness and provision of our heavenly Father. The Lord’s compassions are new every morning, and His faithfulness is great! The best reason for hope is God’s faithfulness.

[The Lord’s] compassions fail not. They are new every morning.  Lamentations 3:22-23 Our Daily Bread, commentary by Joe Stowell: When I was a child, one of my favorite pastimes was playing on the teeter-totter in the nearby park. A kid would sit on each end of the board and bounce each other up and down. Sometimes the one who was down would stay there and leave his playmate stuck up in the air yelling to be let down. But the cruelest of all tricks was getting off the teeter-totter and running away when your friend was up in the air—he would come crashing down to the ground with a painful bump. Sometimes we may feel that Jesus does that to us. We trust Him to be there with us through the ups and downs of life. However, when life takes a turn and leaves us with bumps and bruises, it may feel as if He has walked away leaving our lives to come painfully crashing down. But Lamentations 3 reminds us that “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end” (v.22 ESV) and that God is faithful to the end even when everything seems to be falling apart. This means that in the midst of our pain, even though we may be lonely, we are not alone. And though we may not feel His presence, He is there as our trusted companion who will never walk away and let us down! Thank You, Lord, that we can trust in Your faithful presence even when we feel alone. Help us to wait patiently for You to manifest your steadfast loving presence.

Your Father knows the things you have need before you ask Him. —Matthew 6:8   Our Daily Bread, commentary by Bill Crowder: An RBC Ministries international colleague shared with me her delight in serving as a translator of biblical resources. She said that she feels greatly blessed because she has the first opportunity to be ministered to by the teaching of God’s Word in the materials. As she works through them, she notes, “There is always something that addresses a need I’m facing.” Precisely when she needs encouragement from her Lord, relevant biblical help is provided.  As she spoke, I thought of how our God faithfully cares for us in numerous ways. In the different seasons of life, we find ourselves facing all sorts of challenges—but we do not face them on our own. As Christ said, “Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8).  In our time of need—whether spiritual, emotional, or physical—we can depend on the faithful care and concern of the Father. He knows us so well that He chooses the perfect time to give us what is best and to send reassurance of His care. “Not one [sparrow] is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear . . . ; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7).  We can trust the wisdom of His love. 

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Quotes

“Though the stress and strain of life My thread of faith may break, The cable of God’s faithfulness No storm can ever shake.”  – Anonymous 

“Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; There is no shadow of turning with Thee, Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not, As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.”  – Thomas O. Chisholm, Great is Thy Faithfulness 

“Wait on the Lord from day to day, Strength He provides in His own way; There’s no need for worry, no need to fear, He is our God who is always near.”  – Fortna, Our Daily Bread

“Though men are false, God is faithful.”  – Matthew Henry

“My attitude was and still is like that of David, who was ashamed that the armies of Israel would tremble before Goliath. Without hesitation he stepped forward with complete confidence in the God who had proven Himself to be faithful (1 Samuel 17). For David, the size of the giant was irrelevant.”  – Dave Hunt

“Never give up on God because He never gives up on you.”  – Woodrow Kroll

“God is faithful even when His children are not.”  – Max Lucado

“Thank Him for His sturdy, steady faithfulness–and ask Him to grow the same in you.”  – John MacArthur, Jr. 

“The beautiful thing about this adventure called faith is that we can count on Him never to lead us astray.”  – Charles (Chuck) Swindoll

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