For years, one of my favorite songs has been “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” The Bible speaks in an almost unlimited manner to God’s faithfulness. In fact, in Exodus 34:6, faithfulness is one of the first attributes that God reveals of himself; “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” In this week’s attribute, God is faithful.
We understand the meaning of the word faithful; it means to be loyal, dependable, consistent, and steadfast. What we struggle to understand is perfect faithfulness. You and I know faithful people. Hopefully others consider us to be faithful, but none of us are perfectly faithful. This is not so with God; his faithfulness is perfect, unending, and unchanging throughout all of time.
Deuteronomy 7:9 calls God “the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments.” In Psalm 36:5, David singing of God’s attributes says, “Your faithfulness [extends] to the clouds.” Paul declares, in 1 Corinthians 1:9, “God is faithful” and Peter exhorts Christians to “entrust their souls to a faithful Creator” (1 Peter 4:19). God is faithful.
What does God’s faithfulness mean for us? So much! The Bible says if we confess our sin that God is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Psalm 121:3 says that God will not allow your foot to slip, and that he who keeps you will never slumber or rest and 2 Thessalonians 3:3 says that God who is faithful will guard us against the evil one. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 says that God who called us is faithful and will sanctify us completely. Hebrews 10:23 tells us to hold unwaveringly to the confession of our hope because “he who called us is faithful.”
This means that our faithfulness is a result of God’s faithfulness to us. Isaiah says, “We are all the work of your hand” (Isaiah 64:8). We are not faithful people; “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.” But we can take great courage in this. As 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.”
Go Deeper:
Praise God for his faithfulness to us, even when we are unfaithful.
Search Bible verses on God’s faithfulness; share them with someone!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John atjwhite@thevillagemi.com)