God is faithful.
We know this is certain. A covenant promise. Throughout the Bible, one is confronted time after time with instances in which He fulfils a promise (rescuing the Israelites from every possible bad guy ever, Abraham's having a son, Nehemiah getting done the wall of Jerusalem, Jesus Himself, et cetera...) In nearly every case, we have seen God work in miraculous ways the likes of which, honestly, few of us will ever see ourselves. When was the last time God parted a river on your way to work?
Yeah, not exactly happening.
Clearly, God the Rock is constant in nature and character. His intentions never change because, well, He isn't constrained to our scale of time. However, how He chooses to have influenced our lives is particular and individually distinct from each and every other person. Custom tailored have our lives been so that we are who we are. So we are where we are. So you know who you know. Right now.
My question is then thus: how are we to distinguish God's faithfulness in our lives today? When I look back on the life I have lived, how am I to identify that which is directly of God and that which isn't?
Without much else in explanation, I feel there are a couple logical roads that one could follow after the previous question:
The fact that I'm living in a house, with food readily available, and plenty of comfort... is this God's faithfulness, or simply a result of living in a prosperous country? Is my living in a prosperous country directly a result of God's planning and provision?
I would then ask, if in fact it is God's faithfulness, this comfort I enjoy, is that also to say that three quarters of the world experience less of God's faithfulness than I? Or is it simply different faithfulness?
Hmm...
We know this is certain. A covenant promise. Throughout the Bible, one is confronted time after time with instances in which He fulfils a promise (rescuing the Israelites from every possible bad guy ever, Abraham's having a son, Nehemiah getting done the wall of Jerusalem, Jesus Himself, et cetera...) In nearly every case, we have seen God work in miraculous ways the likes of which, honestly, few of us will ever see ourselves. When was the last time God parted a river on your way to work?
Yeah, not exactly happening.
Clearly, God the Rock is constant in nature and character. His intentions never change because, well, He isn't constrained to our scale of time. However, how He chooses to have influenced our lives is particular and individually distinct from each and every other person. Custom tailored have our lives been so that we are who we are. So we are where we are. So you know who you know. Right now.
My question is then thus: how are we to distinguish God's faithfulness in our lives today? When I look back on the life I have lived, how am I to identify that which is directly of God and that which isn't?
Without much else in explanation, I feel there are a couple logical roads that one could follow after the previous question:
- Everything is an example of His faithfulness, including that which is supernatural in character.
- Nothing is an example of His faithfulness except that which is supernatural in character.
The fact that I'm living in a house, with food readily available, and plenty of comfort... is this God's faithfulness, or simply a result of living in a prosperous country? Is my living in a prosperous country directly a result of God's planning and provision?
I would then ask, if in fact it is God's faithfulness, this comfort I enjoy, is that also to say that three quarters of the world experience less of God's faithfulness than I? Or is it simply different faithfulness?
Hmm...
Your question? As a child of God there can only be one answer. that Everything is an example of His Faithfulness. We will not truly see how He and His angels have "parted the Red Sea" for us until we are before Him in eternity, after He says " enter My eternal rest you good and faithful servent, and oh by the way this is what I have done for you that you were unable to see ,since you are curious"
ReplyDelete"We only see through the glass dimly" and don't you suppose if we are not truly looking we will see even less?
So let me propose a question to answer the question: Since everything is an example of His Faithfulness, including that which is supernatural in character, HOW can we be more aware of His faithfulness? And by reaching out to the less fortunate (those both around us in the land of the plenty that are in want both physically and spiritually, and those in other countries that lack, will by our giving will we get our answers?
sorry for the poor sentence structure, Anath
James 1:17 says that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above." Reference(Matt 7:11)
ReplyDeleteJust because we are in a prosperous country, yes it is a blessing, but there are many difficulties that stem from that as well. We live in a culture of unbelief for example.
Romans 8:28 "We know that for those who love God all things work together for good..." The good here is not earthly comfort, but if you look at verse 29 it talks about it as being conformity to Christ.
I would say we all experience God's faithfulness in the act of fulfilling that promise with Jesus Christ. I would say that God coming to earth to die for a sinful human who turns his back on God more often than not (aka me) is the greatect miracle we will ever experience.