God Is Faithful

Right off the bat in 1 Corinthians, Paul assures the church of God’s faithfulness:  God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Cor 1:9).  And he says it again later:  No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (10:13).

God is faithful—you often hear Christian leaders say this, especially in times of adversity.  The idea is to reassure us that, even if everything seems to be falling apart, God remains wise and good and strong and loving, and he continues to reign as Lord over all things.  It’s intended as a word of comfort.  But the phrase can be misunderstood, and at times it gets tossed around in a glib manner.  What does it really mean?

• God is faithful to his character.  He’s not fickle; the Lord doesn’t shift and waver and falter.  He always abides by his core convic­tions.  God doesn’t change but remains true to his merciful nature (Malachi 3:6).  The Lord is stable and dependable (Jas 1:17).
• God is faithful to his word.  He keeps covenant with those who love and obey him (Deut 7:9).  The Lord can be trusted to fulfill his promises (Heb 10:23).  He’s the ultimate Promise Keeper.
• God is faithful in loving his people.  The Psalms link his love and faithfulness over and over:  Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds (36:5; 57:10; 108:4).  It is good to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night (92:2; 115:1; cf. Lam 3:22-23 and “great is Thy faithfulness”).
• God is faithful to work for the good of his children.  But remem­ber, “good” doesn’t often mean easy.  The Father’s discipline is good (Heb 12:10) even if, like surgery, it may be harsh.  God loves to give good gifts to his children (Matt 7:11), and he can be trusted to identify the good that we need (cf. Rom 8:28).

Are you resting in God’s faithfulness?  Or do you fear he won’t be able to turn evil for good (Gen 50:20)?  Friends, wait on the Lord, and be at peace:  in his time and in his way, our Faithful God will meet our deepest needs!