Throughout life, few things remain the same. Children grow up. Friends move away. The sands of culture shift rapidly under our feet. Yet, in every circumstance of life, we have a God who never changes. In our prison ministries in Saskatchewan, we are so thankful for His faithfulness. Moses reminded the Israelites in Deuteronomy 7:9,
“Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;”
Here are 3 truths that help us understand God’s faithfulness.
1) God’s attributes are connected, not isolated.
God has many attributes, or character qualities. For example, God has the attributes of mercy, justice, and omniscience (knowing everything). Often, we think of God’s attributes as separate from each other. For example, God is both merciful (not giving us the punishment we deserve) and just (requiring payment for sin). We assume that God has to choose either mercy or justice, and that He cannot choose both at the same time.
However, this is not the case. All of God’s attributes work together in perfect harmony. If God had to choose between conflicting attributes, He would be unstable and unreliable. Although people are like that, God is not. A. W. Tozer explains in his classic work The Knowledge of the Holy, “…all His words and acts must be and remain faithful. Men become unfaithful out of desire, fear, weakness, loss of interest, or because of some strong influence from without. Obviously none of these forces can affect God in any way.” Because of this, God is, and always will be, faithful.
2) God is always true to Himself.
His actions are always based on His attributes. Because God is truth, He will never lie. Because God is just, He must punish sin. Because God is omniscient, or all-knowing, He will never need to learn anything. Because God is love, He gave His only begotten Son so we could be forgiven for our sins.
In addition, God will always keep His promises. Here are just a few of the promises He has given to those who chooses to turn from sin and believe on Christ:
-He will forgive our sins. (Micah 7:19)
-He will provide for all our needs. (Philippians 4:13)
-He will give us grace in our weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
-He will give us wisdom when we ask. (James 1:5)
-He will provide a way to escape from temptation. (Romans 10:13)
Because He is faithful, we can believe His promises and act upon them.
3) God is always the same—unchangeable and faithful.
Because His attributes are inseparably connected, and He is always true to those attributes, God is faithful. He’s faithful on warm and sunny days and on rain-soaked days. He’s faithful even when the ground quakes under our feet. Nahum 1:7 shouts the glorious truth, “The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”
At our prison ministries in Saskatchewan, we trust God. We know that, even when we don’t understand His plan yet, He is working all things together for good in our lives. Yesterday, today, forever—He is faithful.
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