DEVOTIONS: The Faithful God

Deuteronomy 7:9 – Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God  who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.

If there is one thing I have learned in life, it is that people will let you down. People will disappoint us. Some people will lie or betray us. Some will take advantage of us. And some will walk away. Regardless, if you haven’t already experienced it, at some point, someone will let you down. And it will sting.

Despite being hurt by people in the past, it still stings when it happens. And when it does happen, I find myself looking back on the relationship or situation and asking myself what I missed. Could I have prevented it? Was it my fault? Did I deserve it?

Hurt.

When people hurt us, we sometimes take on the blame. It’s a funny (not haha funny) thing when you think about it. Maybe it was our fault or we somehow caused it, but in many cases it’s not. People are people. Unfortunately, that means that some people will just do jerky things. If you’re like me, sometimes you internalise the situation. I take on the blame for the hurt. I am always more critical of myself than anyone else. Again, people are people, and it has taken me some time to accept that some people will just do jerky things.

Shame.

Again, I don’t know about you, but for me, after the hurt, shame settles in. And this one takes times to go away. I don’t know why shame settles in longer than anything else. Maybe because I feel like I should have seen it coming. Or maybe I allowed it to happen somehow. In any case, the shame is a lot harder to deal with. But it doesn’t end there, because shame leads way to bitterness. And in my experience, when shame and bitterness walk hand in hand, it perpetuates a cycle of pain and anger that is hard to break.

But God.

As I’ve spent time reading scripture, [bctt tweet=”God has reminded me of His faithfulness. He reminded me that He is unchanging. God is the only one that is truly unchanging. #faithful #ACW ” username=”acwriters”] As Hebrews 13:8 tells us,’ Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.’ He doesn’t shift or change, nor does His heart change towards me based on my actions. God is God, and that means love, kindness and mercy. That means that when everyone else fails me, He never will.

Hope.

God’s character is unchanging. All throughout the bible, from the Old Testament through to the New Testament, we see His steadfast character. His faithfulness is threaded throughout the entire bible, leaving us in no doubt of His goodness. Because when God says He won’t leave or forsake us, he won’t. His faithfulness means that when He makes a promise, he fulfils it. His Word never comes back empty. He is with us. Always has been, always will be.

Today, whatever you may be facing, whether it be hurt or joy or disappointment. Whatever it may be, may you know the truth of His faithfulness. People will let you down. It is inevitable. But God never will. He will always love you and be faithful to His word. And that is a truth worth clinging to.