HOW GREAT IS YOUR

FAITHFULNESS, OH LORD!

As I was recently sitting here at my on a lovely almost summer day, I began to ponder about the faithfulness of the Lord in all the situations of my life.  And there are many situations we go through in this life and in our journey to our heavenly home, and in every detail of our life, His blessings or His benefits never fail.

In the past two weeks, I have seen the Lord do marvelous things, and He is still the God of miracles and the God of faithfulness, and we can depend on that faithfulness every day, every hour.  I had a call from a precious saint, now in her 90’s asking for prayer.  She was in great pain at the time.  This lady is confined to a wheelchair, but great is her faith, and she trusts in the faithfulness of her God.  I took her need to the Throne of Grace, and received her testimony shortly thereafter.  She was instantly healed!  All pain left her body, and she rejoiced in the faithfulness of her Lord.

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not, they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.  “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, therefore I hope in Him” Lamentations 3:22-24.  Think of that, my friends, because of His great mercies and His great love for us, in sending Jesus Christ to save us from our sins, we are forgiven and set free from sin, and even in our deepest times of grief or pain in our bodies, His great compassion for our pain never ceases.  We are His children, He is our Father God.  And every new day that dawns, there are new benefits and blessings to look forward to as we walk with the Lord, Praise His Holy Name!

I think of those in my own life and in my family and how God has been so faithful in our time of grief in losing our mother.  He brings great calm and peace to our lives, knowing that mom, as she would fondly say, “I got it done.” She finished her journey home and we will see her again someday welcoming us home with that big smile and her open arms.  And mom knew of His faithfulness in every area of her life as she walked with her Lord.

And there are many who are struggling with great health issues, and some of my “little flock” are nearing the end of their journey, and just around the next bend in the road they are ready to go “Over the Sunset Mountains” and home.  God has been faithful to these dear ones.  Let me tell you about a couple of them.  They have been very dear in my life and ministry, and I have seen God do wondrous things in their lives.

This first lady has grown very precious to me in the short time I have known her and visit with her in a foster home situation.  She was a missionary in an American Indian setting for many, many years.  She has loved the Lord and served Him since she was a child, and raised her family to love Him also.  She is looking forward now to the day when He calls her home.  And we have shared of God’s faithfulness to her over the years.  This lady has definitely earned her Crown of Glory given to all those who serve as Pastors, teachers and anyone who serves in these areas, (I Peter 5:2-4).

Then there is my precious friend who is now in a nursing home, confined to bed, and loves to have the Psalms read to her.  She has difficulty in speaking now, but is always so happy when I come.  This dear lady was a neighbor of our church who came to church in her electric cart, as she had had strokes, but lived in her own home.  She came to sing, and sing she did, to the glory of God, and we were always blessed by her inspiring voice.  And she sang in various places around the valley here.  But someday soon she will be singing again, and I can hardly wait to hear that voice of hers as she sings around God’s Throne.  Great is His faithfulness!

Yes, there is much to ponder as I look around my world and know that my God is faithful, even when I see violence on every hand, and trouble in our nation and around the world, and see the hurt in people’s faces as they pass me in the mall or elsewhere.  I see people all around me who are lost in sin and need Jesus.  It seems that darkness of sin abounds. My God still is in control, and someday even though the world seems dark at times, there is a day coming when the Prince of Peace will come, and all this time of darkness and sin will be gone forever, Praise the Lord!

But I look up in the sky, see the clouds, the stars, and look at the beautiful flowers blooming and I am filled with great joy at the faithfulness of our Lord.  Recently we were able to view pictures of the eclipse of the sun, and my heart was filled with awe!  The God I serve, the great Creator, controls and shows His marvelous signs in the heavens.  “The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory” Psalm 97:6.

 GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

“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!

Summer and winter, springtime and harvest, sun, moon and stars in their courses above, join with all nature in manifold witness, to Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide; strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with then thousand beside! (Thomas O. Chisholm/William M. Runyan)

So, my dear friends, look around you and see the faithfulness of God, and recall how He has been faithful to you in your walk with the Lord.  And if you don’t know this Wonderful, Faithful God as your own personal Savior, He is waiting to receive you, forgive your sins, and prepare a place for you in heaven to be with Him forever.  Just ask Him, don’t put it off.  In asking Him to come into your life, you will find the most faithful friend you will ever have.

Blessings,

Pastor Sharon