by A.G.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.
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!
I love this hymn! Not only does it encourage me and teach me about God, but it shares the story of my life. Itâs as if I wrote those words myself. Thatâs also how I feel about Isaiah 46:3-4; as if God is saying it directly to me:
âListen to me, descendants of Jacob, all you who remain in Israel. I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetimeâuntil your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.â
From the time I was born, I have been in the palm of His hand. I shouldnât have lived past the complications of my birthâbut He is faithful and He is my Healer. As I faced spinal fusion surgery for severe scoliosis at 15 years of age, I should have been afraid. I knew the slightest mistake of the surgeon could leave me paralyzed for the rest of my life. But God is faithful and His Word is true.
When He said in Philippians 4:7 that âyou will experience Godâs peace, which exceeds anything we can understandâ, it was true. I experienced it firsthand. His peace guarded my heart and my mind as I was taken into that operating room. I had so much peace and joy that it was bubbling out of me.
And He didnât leave me there. He was with me every day, every night of pain after that surgery. The Chris Tomlin song, âYour Grace is Enoughâ was a comfort to me, especially the refrain âRemember Your people, Remember Your children, Remember Your promise, Oh God.â I would sing this in the night when I couldnât sleep because of the pain and Jesus would pour His love and peace over me.
I went back to school, graduated high school on time, and went to college. The secular college environment in our culture is hostile to those who live out their faith in Jesus. A professor lied about me, trying to damage my reputation because I wouldnât take her advice and see her psychic. I lost friends who chose a lifestyle of worldly fun instead of the standard of holiness that God calls us to.
God is faithful. He protected me and gave me the strength to live with integrity. He became a close companion and He brought true friends into my life.
Even now, whatever circumstances come in my life, He continues to prove His faithfulness to me. I’m not perfect and never will be. Sometimes I fear, I worry, I become overwhelmed. Yet like the hymn says, “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.” Whatever storm rages around me, my soul is secure because the God I serve is faithful. He is true to His Word to be with us, to never leave us or forsake us.
I promise you that He is faithful. He has proven His faithfulness over and over in my life and He will do the same for you. Whatever you are facing, He is able. Lean on Him.
Psalms 37:23-24
The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.
