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Day 21 - Perfect in FaithfulnessMonday August 13O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, When we speak of faithfulness, we usually think of the word as Webster’s
defines it “steadfast in affection or allegiance - firm in adherence to promises
or in observance of duty”. The Hebrew word for faithfulness, 'emuwnah (em-oo-naw',
literally means firmness and comes from the verb And this is true - over and over the word of God tells us that the Lord is both loving and faithful – steadfast in His affection and loyalty to us. I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the
peoples. But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Psalm 89:14 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant. Psalm 25:10 But the word faithful also means literally – full of faith. We need to think about that for a minute. When God looks at you, He is full of faith. When God speaks something to you, about your life, your family, your destiny in Him - He is full of faith. He is not expecting you to fail – He is full of faith that what He speaks will come to pass in your life. That’s why the writer of Hebrews could encourage the church Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 We can hope, not because we believe in ourselves or in our own ability to accomplish what God has promised – but because He is faithful and full of faith! Our key to victory in any situation does not rest in our own power or strength, but only in the increased knowledge and understanding of who He is. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:6-9 Even when we falter, even when we walk in unbelief and doubt, it does not affect the faithfulness of God. What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. Romans 3:3-4 Literally translated this verse says “will their unbelief render God’s faith idle or useless? NO! Why? Because faith is part of the very nature of God – He is full of faith and it is impossible the word tells us, for Him to deny who He is. Here is a trustworthy saying: Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his
God, Even when we are passing through difficult times of our lives, fiery trials where we feel like we are not able to make it, difficult situations that seem impossible to survive, we can have hope. Because our trust is not in ourselves and we don’t have to lean on our own faith - we can lean on the faithfulness of God. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:2-4 How can we find that protection from the evil one? Simply by drawing closer to Him. O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? God’s faithfulness surrounds Him – like a big blanket or cloak. So if we want to be surrounded too, we only need to get as close to Him as possible, to lean on Him and then that same covering will be ours as well. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find
refuge; Ephesians 6 talks about the armour of God – the belt of truth, the helmet of salvation. And in it, we are encouraged to take up the shield of faith that can protect us from the fiery darts of the lies and accusations of the enemy. But if we’re honest, many times we feel like our faith is so small or weak it’s not much of a shield to protect us. Well the good news is, we don’t have to rely how much faith we have in and of ourselves. A father in a desperate situation came to Jesus. His son was demon possessed and subjected to horrible fits. He asked Jesus to help – if he could. "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:23-24) We don’t have to rely on the strength of our own faith – His faithfulness can help us to overcome every area of unbelief. I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. Psalm 89:1 God has been teaching us about the importance of consecrating our lips – of not coming into alignment/agreement with the lies of the enemy, but only with God’s truth. One of the ways we can do that is to speak of and make known His faithfulness. I will remember the deeds of the Lord, yes I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works, and consider all your mighty deeds.” Psalm 77:11-12 I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be
praised, All of us have stories of God’s amazing faithfulness to us. Even if we are brand new believers, the unique story of our salvation is a story of God’s faithfulness to us. While we were yet sinners, He looked at us through the eyes of faith and saw us as redeemed children of God. Today let’s take time to meditate on the miracles and mighty deeds of God – not just those found in the word or in other people’s lives, but our own personal stories of triumph and victory – where God showed His faithfulness to us. Today’s let commit to speak to at least one person – our spouse, our children, our friends, our work associates and “make His faithfulness” known to them. Let’s tell them a story of God’s amazing love and faithfulness in our lives. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself. Psalm 89:2 It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, Heather Clark wrote a wonderful song, based on
Psalm 126, for the
Charlottetown gathering in 2002. Click here
to listen or here
to watch a clip
from
the Body video. Let’s sing this song today as a declaration as a nation of
God’s goodness and faithfulness to us! Psalm 126 – Now is the Time - Heather Clark When the Lord turned captivity of Zion Chorus: He who continually goes forth with weeping (Chorus) Those who sow in tears (Chorus) 
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