I have always been mindful of your unfailing love
and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness. (Psalm 26:3 NIV)
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9 NIV)
Last weekend I heard several testimonials of how God had moved to rescue people from lives of addiction. While that is not my story, it reminded me of the ever-present nature of God. Yesterday my cousin’s husband passed away, leaving a young wife and late teen daughter, and a friend’s elderly mother passed away after a short illness. Each day we find stories of birth, death, and everything in between. The writer of Ecclesiastes told us that “there is nothing new under the sun” and that “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” (3:1 NIV) Even when we “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4) our God is with us. He is faithful.
This poem which has been set to music also resonates with the faithfulness of God.
“I was there to hear your borning cry,
I’ll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold.
I was there when you were but a child,
with a faith to suit you well;
In a blaze of light you wandered off
to find where demons dwell.
When you heard the wonder of the Word
I was there to cheer you on;
You were raised to praise the living Lord,
to whom you now belong.
If you find someone to share your time
and you join your hearts as one,
I’ll be there to make your verses rhyme
from dusk ’till rising sun.
In the middle ages of your life,
not too old, no longer young,
I’ll be there to guide you through the night,
complete what I’ve begun.
When the evening gently closes in,
and you shut your weary eyes,
I’ll be there as I have always been
with just one more surprise.
I was there to hear your borning cry,
I’ll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold.“*
Faithful God,
Thank you for your faithfulness to us through every season of life, and for all the ways you are at work, even when we are unaware of it. Today we come to you to pray for those that grieve and those who are trapped in addictions. We pray for the comfort of your presence to be with those who have lost loved ones. And we pray for your supernatural power and healing to free those who are addicted. Provide all those in these situations with the love, support, and other resources they need. Help each of us to rely on you more deeply and trust you more fully. Fill us completely with your Spirit so that we can bear the fruit of that Spirit in our lives. Give us undivided hearts, so we can praise, worship, and serve you more. We ask this in Jesus’s name. AMEN.
What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? (Psalm 30:9 NIV)
Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord; may your love and faithfulness always protect me. (Psalm 40:11 NIV)
Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. (Psalm 86:11 NIV)
I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
The heavens praise your wonders, Lord,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. (Psalm 89:1, 2, 5, 8 NIV)
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)
*© 1985 John Ylvisaker