Great Is Thy Faithfulness

I've been humming the hymn "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" all day. It was written by Thomas Obediah Chisholm in 1923 after one of his many, many seasons of illness. Chisholm had been sickly all his life . . . so sick in fact that he was on his death bed more than once! Because of this he had a real appreciation for good health, and he didn't take it for granted. Chisholm so believed in God's faithfulness, that it wasn't based on any current life situation such as sickness or health; poverty or wealth; or any other conditions that we tend to base our well-being on. It was out of this tremendous belief in God's faithfulness that he was able to pen the words to this song. Look at how powerful just the first verse alone is:

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!

Thou changest not . . . thy compassions they fail not . . . as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be. WOW! These words need to sink deep into my heart, and soul, and mind.

I examine my own faith journey and I must admit that there have been times when I have said things like "God told me . . . or God directed me . . . or, God led me." And, at that moment I believe it. But, for one reason or another some of those have sort of fallen by the way side . . . and forgotten too quickly. I'm not alone, I see it all the time in other Christians around me. We're all just so fickle. We change our mind as fast as we change our underwear! But, God doesn't change like that, and He's NOT fickle. So what does that say about me? Did God speak or didn't He? If He did, why on earth do I let anything get in my way of accomplishing the thing or direction He led me in the first place? Why am I not more like Abraham who, when God spoke about taking his only son Isaac to the mountain to offer him as a sacrifice; he didn't wait to hear for more clarification from heaven, he acted; he didn't pray for a sign or handwriting on the wall for confirmation before moving; and he didn't try to figure out what God meant before responding . . . instead, he believed he heard God's voice and he obeyed! One thing is for sure, that is faithfulness!

In contrast to that, I find myself allowing my humanity to bleed through my Christianity, spilling into my actions as doubt and fear; hesitation and fickleness; and questions regarding what I believe to be a word from God. There are times when I allow my current life situations, to direct my actions instead of my God, directing my actions. What a sad truth for so many of us.

Ahhh, but the blessedness of the hymn "Great Is Thy faithfulness," is that it is based on Lamentations 3:22-23 that says "His compassions they fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness." And for me, this is surely something to rejoice over. For me, this means that despite my doubt and fear; God is faithful to me! Regardless of my hesitation and fickleness; God's mercy (His forgivess of my sin of doubt, fear, and lack of action) are new (I get a clean slate) every morning! That grace helps me to take those steps of action when I question if I've heard from God at all; it helps me to respond to the hard things I think I hear God say; and it helps me to know that I don't have to have all the answers before I begin being obedient to His direction, voice, or path. Selah! (a Hebrew word used in the Psalms that means to reflect, pause, and ponder) So, I take a moment and realize . . . "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" Lord, unto me!