Hidden Treasures: Faithful and Eternal

When I turn on the TV to hear more words of criticism and accusation, when I change the channel to see more images of war torn countries, something in me rises. Not hope. Not love. Fear, and all its friends – anxiety, dread, worry, panic. 

When I flip to yet another channel and watch people from other countries hugging, an athlete who ‘should have’ won her event walk over to congratulate the one who did, or a crowd of Americans rooting on their Olympians as one people, something sprouts in my soul. Love. It warms me and reminds me that there is hope. People can still rise above differences and find a common heartbeat. 

Then I imagine what would happen if the Church stepped onto the scene without agendas or assumptions or any other sort of ideology except the truth and grace of Christ. And my hope, it explodes! 

Doubt

In this season, our generation is faced with wars, threats of wars, and divisive rhetoric in way too many corners of our lives, so it’s easy to believe God has left us. He feels hidden, so we assume He has turned His back on us. We doubt His faithfulness.

Dig

Four years ago my husband and I moved. We uprooted our family in a matter of weeks from the only home our young adult sons had ever really known. The grief and suddenness of such a life-change left us all reeling – and was greatly compounded by the pandemic and the losses it accumulated.

As disoriented as I felt in my new home, my heart broke even more for my sons as I watched each of them spiral further into different versions of darkness. Nothing threatened my resolve to trust God more than the depression and utter lost-ness of my ‘boys’. At a time when God seemed so hidden from them, I felt the pull of doubt. Is God really faithful? 

Something in me refused to give-in to such disbelief, yet at the same time it was healthy to acknowledge my doubts instead of being afraid of them.  So, I began learning how to name my fears before the Lord and lay them at His feet. I started reading the Bible more intentionally and praying with greater fervency. For the first time in my adult life, I had time – so I determined to use it for good.

However, about nine months in, things seemed even more desperate. I felt more out of control as anxiety lurked on the edges of my reality, ready to pounce. The temptation to doubt God grew. Did I hear God right? Is He really in this with us?

Dig Deeper

In those moments, on those days where our doubt about God’s faithfulness threatens to overtake our trust in Him, there’s a place we can go to refuel our faith – God’s Word. When we pour over the truths in Scripture, we’re reminded of who God is. As we look over the history of God and His people, we remember all the times He was faithful and did not give up. And, as we wrestle through our own doubts in the light of His Word, we begin to discern His voice.¹ 

“For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors.”

Deuteronomy 4:31 NLT

“Your eternal word, O Lord,
    stands firm in heaven.
Your faithfulness extends to every generation,
    as enduring as the earth you created.”

Psalm 119:89-90 NLT

“I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:20

Discovery

So many changes happen inside of us as we read God’s Word – especially when our desire is to know Him better. As we’ve seen over and over in this series, the hidden treasures of truth about God’s character can be mined in every book of the Bible, from beginning to end: 

• To see the ways God has been patient and merciful gives us confidence that He still is.
• To witness His redeeming power and compassion assures us He remains the same today.
• To notice the absolute outpouring of goodness in His being relieves all our doubts about His motives and heart.
• To trace all the times His grace won out over failure and disappointment reminds us His grace is still sufficient for us.
• To watch the way God’s heart never changes throughout all of history makes us all the more certain that He will never change. 

These are the lessons I gobbled up in the years following our big move. These are truths my heart needed in those days of dark doubt about my sons and God’s faithfulness.

Which is absolutely why God met me in my journaling one day to remind me… 

A year before our move God began a deep work in my soul at a conference. On the last night, saturated in the Spirit, I prayed mightily for my sons. Concerns for their futures weighed heavily even then. After pouring out every thought and question to God, I waited to hear from Him. With no inclination of anything from the Spirit, I reluctantly turned to follow the crowd as we were dismissed – when a friend tugged my arm. Having no idea what I’d just been praying for, this friend leaned-in boldly and spoke: “Shelley, God wants you to know He’s got your boys.”

That was it. That was the word I needed to hear. Floodgates of relief broke open as tears gushed anew. God had heard me. And He’d made a promise — a promise He lovingly brought to mind two years later. As the words, Shelley, I’ve got your boys, poured onto the page of my journal, sobs escaped from deep within me.

In the midst of grief that came from watching my sons suffer, God sent me that beautiful reminder. His promise given to me years before bolstered my faith, so for weeks I incorporated that promise into my prayers. And as I did, my trust in God intensified. I began believing that God was at work and holding my sons even though I couldn’t see any evidence of change (John 20:29).

Today, I’m so blessed to report that transformation has been visibly happening! Four years later depression has broken. Solid jobs have been acquired. Confidence has been building. And an eagerness to live life again is growing!

I am in awe of our faithful God. He promised. I’ve trusted. He’s working. I’m surrendering. Lives are changing. He’s got my sons.

And now as big life-changes are happening again,* this is a promise I must choose to stand on each and every day. God’s got my sons.

It’s no coincidence that God led us into this very series for this very season. He knew before we did what we’d need to navigate all the challenges and changes of 2024. And He knew that the best way to walk through all of it with faith was to be reminded of who He is. 

Oh, how we need to walk in daily remembrances of the truth that God is faithful.

The Hebrew word for ‘faithful’ means steadfastness – the opposite of ‘ever-changing’ and ‘wishy-washy’.¹ At a time when our personal lives feel anything but solid and permanent, when the political climate constantly rises and falls so that we never know what’s real or right, and when economies are shaky and regimes fail to be trustworthy, we. need. steady. We need Someone to put our hope and trust in – Someone who is faithful to who He is and to His people, always.² 

“The steadfast character of our just and merciful God is our only hope. …Our hope hinges not on who we are but on who our God is. God is true to his word and faithful to the end. What God has promised, he will do, for even when we fail, he is faithful to follow through.”

Gretchen Saffles³

I know life feels like a giant wave of uncertainty and upheaval right now. I feel it too. But it’s in the thick of times as these that we can choose to set our eyes on God. We can let go of our fear-induced ideologies and step into His presence. We can surrender our inclinations to fight or flee and, instead, lean on the truths of our God – who knows all, sees all, and cares about it all. 

And He’s been knowing and seeing and caring for quite literally forever – because He is eternal. This faithful quality of God didn’t just spring up, nor has it fallen away. Faithful is who God has always been – and He will be for all eternity.

Friends, God’s faithfulness often gets delivered to us as gifts of grace that go before us, making a way before we even know we need a Way (Deuteronomy 31:8). These gifts of grace come as promises – from His Word and His Spirit, straight to our hearts. Our role is to remain open to the Spirit so that we can meet God with our own faithfulness – so that we can trust Him to keep His promises. “When we hear God’s Word and place our hope in Christ, we will remain steadfast in the faithfulness of our Savior.”³  We will not only believe that He is really, actually with us every moment of every day till the end of the ages, but we’ll live as though He is. 

So, let’s set our eyes on our Lord instead of all the images of our broken, angry, lost world. Let’s choose to put our hope and faith in the only One who will stand steady in the storms. Let’s believe God’s faithfulness extends to every generation, including ours. Forever and ever, amen.

Father God, great is your faithfulness! You are the Steady One when our world quakes beneath our feet. You are constant when nothing else is. You are our Promise Keeper – the One we can put our trust in because You are always with us. Always at work. Always, faithful. Thank You for all the ways You have gone before us and hemmed us in from behind. Thank You for making a way when we don’t see one. Lord Jesus, You are our living proof of God’s faithfulness. He promised You would come, and You did! He promised You’d redeem us, and You have! He promised You’d deliver us, and You are – and You always will! Perhaps one of the most meaningful promises You made to us while You were still on earth is when you said You’d be with us forever. You have always known what we need, exactly when we need it, and we thank You for the gift of your constant, faithful presence. Holy Spirit, You are the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to always be with us – because You are IN US! Because of your presence in us, we carry within us the promised connection with Christ every single moment. Spirit, we ask that You would help us desire more of God’s Word, more of Jesus’ presence, and more of You wisdom. Help us to set our eyes on our Father instead of all the unfaithful, not-trustworthy machinations of our world. Help us to trust every promise ever spoken and written from God to us, and bolster our faith in response so that we’ll believe in what we cannot see. In Jesus’ name, amen.
(Inspired by: Lamentations 3:23; Psalm 119:89-90; Psalm 146:6; Deuteronomy 31:6,8; Psalm 139:5; Isaiah 43:19; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Isaiah 42:1-4; Isaiah 59:20; Psalm 50:15; Matthew 28:20; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Acts 1:8; John 16:7; John 14:26; John 20:29)

* If you haven’t heard our news – we’re moving! This time to another timezone and to a part of the country we’ve never really spent any time in, much less lived. It’s an adventure! My husband and I are moving to Atlanta, Georgia – over twelve hours away from our sons, family, and friends… Every day I remind myself — God goes before us! He’s always been faithful, and He always will. XOXO

Resources: I love sharing with you the books, podcasts, articles, and anything else that has inspired, encouraged, or taught me. These are humble offerings with no expectations.

• 1 – This article does a nice job of describing God’s faithfulness and how we might get to know Him in order to build our trust in Him. They outline three ways to build trust in God’s faithfulness, as I listed above – reading/knowing God’s Word, remembering His past faithfulness, and listening for His voice.
• 2 – This Bible Project video is a great view. Worth your time. It goes beyond defining God’s faithfulness to demonstrating how it’s been shown throughout Scripture. It’s just so good!
• 3 – Gretchen Saffles in Micah, p.109
• Our Backpack of God’s Attributes is our virtual bag for collecting every characteristic of God we find in all our hunting. We’re loading up all we discover about Him. So far:
  • God is Worthy — He deserves all glory and honor and praise.**
  • God is Glorious — He displays His greatness and worth.**
  • God is Transcendent — He is not like humans. He is infinitely higher in being and action.**
  • God is Truthful — Whatever God speaks or does is truth and reality.**
  • God is Incomprehensible — God is beyond our understanding. We can comprehend Him in part but not in whole.**
  • God is Love — God feels and displays infinite, unconditional affection toward His children. His love for them does not depend on their worth, response, or merit.**
  • God is Gracious — The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love (Psalm 145:8).
  • God is Good — God is what is best and gives us what is best. He is incapable of doing harm.**
  • God is Comforter — the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
  • God is Deliverer — God rescues and saves His children.**
  • God is Redeemer — Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine (Isaiah 43:1-2).
  • God is Omnipotent — God holds all the power. Nothing is too hard for God.**
  • God is Almighty — What God wills, He can accomplish.** “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16).
  • God is Infinite — God has no limits in His person or His power.**
  • God is Sovereign — “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you” (Jeremiah 32:17).
  • God is Just — God is fair in all His actions and judgments. He cannot over-punish or under-punish.**
  • God is Righteous — God is always good and right.**
  • God is Wrathful — God hates all unrighteousness.**
  • God is Merciful — God does not give His children the punishment they deserve.**
  • God is Patient/Long-Suffering — God is untiring and bears with His children.**
  • God is Provider — God meets the needs of His children.**
  • God is Omnipresent — God is fully present everywhere.**
  • God is Compassionate — God cares for His children and Acts on their behalf.**
  • God is Wise — God knows what is best and acts accordingly. He cannot choose wrongly.**
  • God is Omniscient — God knows everything: past, present, and future; all potential and real outcomes; all things micro and macro.**
  • God is Generous — God gives what is best and beyond what is deserved.**
  • God is Immutable/Unchanging — God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.**
  • God is Trustworthy — “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.” Isaiah 26:4
  • God is our Refuge — God is a place of safety and protection for His children.**
  • God is Faithful — God always keeps His promises.**
  • God is Eternal — God is not limited by and exists outside of time.**
  • **many thanks to Jen Wilkin and her list, “Attributes of God,” present at the back of every study
• This week I added a song, “Man of Your Word” by Maverick City Music, to our “Hidden Treasures” playlist. Its chorus kept ringing in my head as I typed about God’s faithfulness, so I had to go find it and share it with you. “If He said it, He will do it!”
• The most recent issue of our newsletter, The Abiding Life, made it to inboxes this last week. I had so much fun connecting dots between abiding rhythms, baseball, and Jane Austen. If you didn’t receive it, let me know. And…you can subscribe here for future editions.

Rhythms: As my newsletter’s title infers, we seek to develop an abiding life in this space — a place where we can get informed but also be transformed as we learn to abide in God’s presence throughout our days. I like to think that developing rhythms is one way to aid us in our desire to become more Christlike.

• Praise, our summer rhythm, is the speaking of truths about WHO GOD IS. It lifts our eyes off our circumstances and back onto the One who can walk us through them. And the Psalms are packed with poems that will lead us through this ritual of reflection and remembrance — until it becomes a rhythm that we fall into naturally.
  • Truly, we need Steady. Everything in life fluctuates. Storms blow up out of nowhere. And we just don’t know who or what to trust. So, how amazing is it that we can put our hope and trust in our Faithful God!?! Let’s immerse ourselves in praising Him this week for His faithfulness.
  • This week, let’s read Psalm 115. This is a not-so-well-known Psalm that opens with mighty words of God’s faithfulness — then leaps into descriptions of other people’s gods. It’s a little different, but it’s basically a litany of all the ways God is faithful. 🙂 This Psalm is part of a group of “hallels” sung as hymns by Jews during Passover. One commentator suggested reading it aloud, imagining Jesus singing this on His last night, at the Last Supper. It’s meant to be a faith-builder. Let’s read it as one!! Hallelujah!
• And while it’s not a spiritual practice or rhythm, I invite you to share this site. Summer is a great time to ask someone else to join us here — it is a shared journey of faith, for sure!

Featured Photo by Jacob Bentzinger on Unsplash. “All the Bits and Pieces” photo by Zrng N Gharib on Unsplash.
^denotes an affiliate link, with which this ministry may earn a bit