Faithfulness
Hello Bride of Christ,
Picture it! Late evening on a fall Virginian day in 2003 on a mountain college campus there in a dorm room a girl with her two friends knelt down in front of a bed covered with a dark green comforter. Right there in the tiny dorm in the space between the two roommates’ beds, her friend leads her in a prayer she had never heard before nor fully understood. However, as his words poured forth her heart began to unravel and reveal what had been hidden and buried in the depths of her soul. A pause makes way for her to open her mouth to speak. Then it happened. She prays. Not like in times past when prayer was just a method of wishing for her plans to come to pass or a negotiation tactic with a God she did not fully believe was even in existence. No, this time it was different. This time she simply spoke and revealed what had been keeping her from believing there was a living God. “Lord if you are real, never leave me or forsake me. I am giving you all of me. So do not disappoint me,” she prays as tears stream down her face and her heart beats rapidly in her chest. At that moment, she did not know it, but she was asking God for His faithfulness.
Yes, as said girl, during the late Fall of my freshman year of college I invited God into my heart and asked Him for His faithfulness. Faithfulness, in the Greek pistis, as a noun refers to that which gives rise to belief, such as the faithfulness and reliability of a person. God uses His faithfulness, ability to remain consistent (Hebrews 13:8) and ever-present (Psalm 46:1), to establish our ability to believe in Him. The bible, His written Word, is a great source that displays His faithfulness from Genesis, the first book of the bible, all the way to Revelation, the last book of the bible.
Our God is a covenant-keeping God, who only requires Himself to bring the promise to fruition and full completion. To acquaint us with His faithfulness through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit the testimonies of Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Hagar, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Ruth, Rahab, Daniel, David, Peter, James, John, Paul, and so many more are written. Each displays God’s reliability to meet them in the midst of their days. Since, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8) we can be sure He does the same with our life stories.
Bride of Christ, according to Paul in his letter to the Galatians God’s faithfulness is not only reserved for God to display. Through our personal relationship with the Holy Spirit that Jesus gifted to all believers, we are called to live lives that give rise to belief, belief that Jesus Christ is Messiah and alive! The fruit of faithfulness is to be true in us (Galatians 5:22). Little did I know that Fall day that God was well acquainted with faithfulness, for it was in His word I realized what I thought was my prayer was actually God’s spoken words to Joshua when He was encouraging him to lead the children of Israel over the Jordan. He promised Joshua that He would never leave him nor forsake him (Deuteronomy 31:8). Our God is well acquainted with faithfulness so you can rest assured that as You read His word and spend time with Him, He will produce faithfulness in you too!
