GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

The character of a man being true and accurate over a thing can be regarded as faithfulness. It is one of the virtues that make a man to be termed as being righteous. However, it is very rare to see a man who is consistently faithful in all his ways, especially in this end time. Although it should not be, particularly among the children of God, we can say many changes in circumstances make men to waver between truthfulness and unfaithfulness.

The Lord God Almighty, on the other hand, is not man. He has been ever faithful. All through the ages, he has not changed nor stopped being faithful. He is the same always (Hebrews 13:8). Our God is not faithful in just a thing only, everything about him is faithfulness. Truly, great is the faithfulness of the Lord (Lamentations 3:23), for there are so many dimensions from which His faithfulness is revealed in all generations (Psalm 119:90).

One of the ways by which God exhibits His faithfulness is in the showing of compassion and mercy. He is a Father that abounds in love and mercy (Exodus 34:6-7). If the Lord had been marking all our iniquities, no one would have been able to stand (Psalm 130:3). Indeed, the forgiveness of sins we obtain, even now by the blood of Jesus Christ, is a manifestation of His great faithfulness to us. It must have been this revelation that made King David to bless the name of the Lord for forgiving him his sins in Psalm 103:3.

God’s faithfulness is made known in the administration of justice. In fact, the scepter of His kingdom is of righteousness (Psalm 45:6). He exalts the righteous and humble, and His anger rests on the wicked and proud in heart. He remains a defense to the defenseless, a hope to those in despair, and an ever present help to those who depend on him in time of trouble (Psalm 46:1). There is no shadow of turning or double standard with God, He is faithful!

In Joshua 21:45, a record of another dimension of God’s faithfulness was made. God does not slack at all in the fulfillment of His promises. He is a covenant keeping God, who fulfills every promise at the best time. All the assurance He gave the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 28:1-13 was done, as later recorded in Joshua 21:45. He is not man that He should lie or the son of man that repents (Numbers 23:19). He even exalts His words above His name (Psalm 138:2), He is a faithful God, and great is His faithfulness. He is ever true to His words of healing us, supplying our needs, giving us peace of mind, making us more than conquerors, and so on.

His mercy and faithfulness are new to us every morning. All He expects from us, as a way of reciprocating His faithfulness and make it known to all on the earth (Psalm 89:1). The faithful God is great and greatly to be praised. This is typical of what Thomas O. Chrisholm (1866-1960) did when he composed the popular Christian hymn “Great is thy faithfulness” in 1923 to sing and appreciate God Almighty for His faithfulness.