“Great Is Thy faithfulness”- Public Domain
We live in stressful and chaotic times when it can be hard to see the hand of God. I believe, though, if we take a look beyond the stress, beyond the chaos, we can see God and his amazing faithfulness to us. We can choose to be grateful in the stress, in the chaos, that God is for us and with us. There is wonder just waiting to be found and explored; we just need to open our eyes to it.
The hymn “Great Is Thy faithfulness” is one that my mom Linda has held dear to her heart for many years. It brings her back to a moment in time that would later define her life. In the fall of her junior year of college, she was faced with a decision regarding her congenital hip. She wrestled with God over the decision. Her questions ranged from “Was God for her and with her?” to “Was He hidden in the distance, nowhere to be found ?”
Peace flooded her heart one day as she sang this hymn. Her wrestling with God turned into a great embrace with the Creator of the universe. She could trust His hand upon her life, for He was with her even in the pain and the struggle. He would see her through the hip replacement. God has forever been faithful to her. He orchestrated events and circumstances that led to her meeting her husband. He blessed her with two boys that are growing every day into men of God’s own heart. He has also given her opportunities to share God’s love with her community, being the hands and feet of Jesus to a lost and broken world. Through the struggle, through the chaos, she has found the joy in embracing God’s faithfulness for what it is: a testimony to the heart of God.
The book of Lamentations is a book of lament and mourning about the destruction of Jerusalem and the fall of the kingdom of Judah by the Babylonians. God told the people of Judah and Israel through His prophets that destruction was coming if they didn’t repent and turn back to Him, their first love. However, they continued in their evil ways and suffered the consequences of their sins. So Jeremiah is mourning the fact that the people who were to be a living demonstration of God’s love to the world have fallen so short of it. He wants hope and a promise that God will be faithful to His people once again.
God gives Jeremiah hope as He places these words on his heart: “ Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassion never fails. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:21-23) These words give Jeremiah hope that God is the forever constant One. Even when they don’t deserve it, God is showing to Israel that His heart is bursting full of love for them.
He is trying to say to them--just as he is saying to us--“ I have always loved you, even in your wanderings. When you have faced struggles, I have been right there beside you, holding your heart in my hands.In the joy and the wonder, In fact, even the wanderings, even the struggles, have been a testimony pointing you to your way home. Your true home is Me. Rest in My enduring faithfulness towards you, my beloved child!”
Prayer: We love you, Jesus. We are thankful for You being with us through every season and every struggle of the soul. We are thankful for Your faithfulness towards us. Help us to see that even in the pain and the chaos, there is always wonder to be found when we open our eyes to Your enduring faithfulness. So, we open our eyes to You, being a testimony to the world of your love and faithfulness. In Your name, we pray, Amen!
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