Understanding the Reach of God’s Faithfulness

By Bishop Taiwo Akinola

Presiding Bishop, Rhema Christian Church and Towers

“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9). 
Introduction: One of the strongest truths in the entire Bible is that God is inherently faithful. He is trustworthy. He honours His words, fulfills His promises, and He won’t let down anyone that trusts in Him. Our God is too faithful to fail!God’s faithfulness is in direct contrast to the other heathen faiths. Other gods are, generally, immoral, selfish, cruel and careless with their promises regardless of their pledged word. Contrariwise, the God of the Bible is always loving and caring, and especially faithful both to His covenant and to His children (Ps. 89:34).

God’s Faithfulness Reaches Unto the Clouds
Reflecting on history, magnificent thoughts of God’s faithfulness spring forth! Yet, from his personal experience, King David saw God through his many cloudy seasons, and he sang: “Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds” (Ps. 36:5). Such inspirations must be stamped upon our hearts, never to be erased by any ominous finger. In every life are shadowed days when the sun withdraws its shining, as it were, and the clouds return. This may be a time of family trouble or of great financial anxiety, a time of failing health or times when the grave is full and the living is beginning to envy the dead. It may even be a time when all that a man has lived for seems washed away like a castle in the sand – a day of unexpected turns.Sometimes, to our chagrin, these cloudy moments gather very swiftly like some tropical thunderstorms, and we think that God has forgotten to be gracious and are tempted to secretly doubt His care for us. However, we ought to keep in mind that our God is faithful to “them that love him and keep his commandments” (Deut. 7:9).Certainly, history has its cloudy days. It was a cloudy day experience when the Jews were carried away to Babylon. Exiled to a distant, heathen land, they thought that God had forgotten them and had broken His covenanted faithfulness (Isaiah 40:7). They were seriously confounded: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion” (Ps. 137:1). One day, their heart would rise to sing again on the other side of captivity. But at that time, they had hung their harps, not wanting to sing the Lord’s song of faithfulness in that strange land. Then suddenly, across those dark and cloudy days, came the ringing prophetic voices with the message of ransom and return (Is. 35:1-10). God is faithful!Another desolating moment showed up when our Lord ascended to the Father, and a cloud received Him from the disciples’ sight (Act 1:9). The disciples had loved Him and leaned upon Him, so they were well-nigh broken-hearted when the cloud took him away from them, thinking the sweet companionship was over, forever. But, Jesus Christ had promised them His abiding presence, and He showed up to fulfill that promise on the day of Pentecost.Jehovah God is faithful, and He won’t break His covenant, no matter what (Hebrews 10:23). Remember Abraham? He held on to God’s faithfulness, even in his hopeless situations (Romans 4:19-21). And his Isaac – meaning Smile – came at last!

God’s Faithfulness Is Inexhaustible
Yes indeed, from time to time, the clouds of uncertainty do hang over humanity. But, if we only could carefully reflect on our personal experiences of dark days, remembering how, severally, God had acted to illuminate our paths, we cannot but shout: Great is His faithfulness. Alleluia!We were stained with sin and shame, and marked for death. But God, who is rich in mercy and unfailing in His faithfulness, marked us by His love in Christ Jesus, and redeemed us unto Himself. Assuredly, He won’t abandon us, anytime.For people out there, anxious and distressed because things are presently dark and cloudy – have faith in God. Do not despair. The hour is nearer than you think when you also, like David, will sing the songs of God’s faithfulness.Tomorrow belongs to those who live today by a faith that sees beyond the limitations of human reasoning, trusting in the unfailing love of the Faithful God. He alone has helped us thus far, and He alone will carry us all the way to our Hope of Glory.

Maturing Confidence In God’s Faithfulness
It’s very crucial to have robust faith in God’s ability to keep us away from evils and answer our prayers, but it is also very important that we grow up spiritually to a point where our relationship with God is not based just on His ability to perform, but on our love for Him, because He first loved us. The three young Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, faced a tragic death threat for choosing not to worship the Babylonian golden image. However, their resolution was not based only on God’s power and faithfulness to save them, they said they would rather die than to worship any heathen god, even if God wouldn’t deliver them. That’s a statement of genuine love for God, which won’t disobey His commandment even in the face of death. And it was this unwavering love for God, not just their faith, that provoked and attracted God to them in their desperate hours. When we live true to the Lord, we will in turn enjoy His faithfulness in full. 

Conclusion

God’s faithfulness is never, in any way, diminished by men’s unfaithfulness.

Albeit, unfaithful men cannot access the provisions that the Faithful God had reserved for the faithful (2 Timothy 2:13).With God’s faithfulness in view, keep up hope even if it appears that disappointment is starring you in the face. God will never give up on you, no matter what. He’s constantly holding out hope concerning His people, so that we might fulfill all His pleasure.The challenges may not be all over yet, nor the changes complete, but when our hearts are excited with loving faith in God’s faithfulness, things long-awaited will certainty land in our hands. Friends, the smell of rain is in the air, renew your trust in the Faithful God. For it will soon be said of us as it was of our predecessors: “They did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year” (Jos.5:12).

Further Reading: Isaiah 35:1-10; Leviticus 26:42-45; Psalm 89:1-24; Lamentations 3:22-23; 2 Thessalonians 3:3.