The challenge – can you look at the past year and praise God for His faithfulness? Amidst illness, death, unemployment, and uncertainty, (and even a shortage of toilet paper!), God remains faithful. When we do not look with eyes that are focused on His sovereignty and perfect plan, we miss clarity.
If you have been to an optometrist, you may recall the process of looking through different lenses as the doctor asks you if 1 or 2, or 3 or 4, is better. The ability to see clearly is valuable – both as we navigate the physical world we live in and as we grow in our spiritual understanding of God. Any eye doctor is able to correct our vision through prescriptive lenses. Only God is able to cause the eyes of our heart to focus on His truths.
Jeremiah penned the book of Lamentations. It is an account of the sorrows of the Jewish nation, of their suffering and misery because they turned from God. Jeremiah also recounts the nations repentance and submission, their prayer and hope of God’s future promises for deliverance. A section in chapter 3 of this book reads, “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. [They] are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion’, says my soul, ‘therefore I have hope in Him’. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him”, Lamentations 3:22-25.
Thomas O. Chisholm wrote the words to the hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, in 1923 as he contemplated God’s faithfulness over his lifetime. The lyrics were then set to music and almost 100 years later the tune and words are still widely recognized.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Great is Thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning new mercies I see,
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided,
Great is Thy faithfulness Lord unto me.
We have absolute hope! God is faithful. He shows mercy and compassion towards those He loves. Do you trust in the abundant grace He has extended towards you through His Son? As you seek Him you will be blessed – even through difficulty.
Has your trust in God grown this past year? Have you witnessed souls turn towards His truths? Sometimes we must lose the blessings we have in order to recognize their value. Has your gratefulness increased? Perhaps those things we once expected are now treasured more fully. Difficulty has produced a new endurance and a higher level of thankfulness in many households and relationships. In all this, praise God. He is faithful!
Focus Heavenward.
