Anchored in His love and Faithfulness
I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself. (Psalm 89:1-2)
Hello Saints,
There is a remarkable seen in the book of Exodus where Moses greatly desires to see the glory of the Lord and begs God to reveal Himself to him (Exo. 33:18-23). God agrees to pass by in front of Moses after God hides Moses in the cleft of the rock. As the Lord passes by to reveal His glory to Moses, the Lord pronounces, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Exo. 34:5-8). It is such an incredible picture of God, in His goodness and grace, allowing Moses the desire of his heart…to see God. And what does he see, or should I say experience? The presence of the Lord is the revelation of His character and attributes, namely ‘merciful and gracious, slow to anger, rich in unfailing love and faithfulness’ (Exo. 34:6 NLT). This self-disclosure by God sets the tone for the rest of the Old-Testament writings, even the revelation of Jesus, God the Son to the world. Repeatedly the authors of scripture (namely God Himself) will use this language to reveal the character of God. Numerous times, especially in the Psalms love and faithfulness appear together, and they should because they really qualify each other: God’s love is demonstrated in His faithfulness, and His faithfulness is revealed in His steadfast love – they are two sides of the same coin. Psalm 89 above is just one example of many, but as I was reading the psalm, it is blatantly obvious that these two words belong together and complete each other to form one thought: Your throne is founded on two strong pillars -- righteousness and justice. Unfailing love and truth (faithfulness) walk before you as attendants (89:14 NLT). In the following verses, God promises twice that His faithfulness and lovingkindness (covenantal love) will not leave His chosen servant (89:24, 33, 49). God is love and He is always faithful and truthful. What does this actually mean? He cannot be anything else for that is the very nature of His existence.
It means exactly what the scriptures say it means. God has chosen us out of love and has set His affection upon us. Because He loves us so much as His own children, He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). He will never allow us to be separated from His love (Rom. 8:35-39). He is faithful and dependable, loyal and committed, reliable and steadfast, dedicated to loving us to the end, of which there will never be. His love for us endures forever and He wants us to be with Him for all eternity. This truth leads us right to the Jesus! God demonstrates His love for us by faithfully revealing and fulfilling His promises to supply a means by which we might be forever in His love (Rom. 5:8). That means is Jesus! Jesus is the full disclosure of God’s love and faithfulness! God so LOVED the world He gave His only SON that whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life - Love and faithfulness wrapped up in one package. God’s unfailing, loving-kindness revealed in Christ is a demonstration of His faithfulness to supply His people with the means by which they might have an eternal relationship with Him, experiencing His love and faithfulness forever. Think about Jesus’ last words to His disciples recorded in John 13 -17. They are all about love and faithfulness: from the washing of the disciples’ feet, to all the love passages (John 13:34-35; 14:21-24; 15:9-13; 17:26), to the promises of eternal presence (John 14:1-4; 14:17-18; 14:26-28; 16:13-16). Indeed, the New Testament disciples were living and trusting in the love of God for them, and the faithfulness of God that He would come and take them to be with Him (the rapture) and be with them forever in the New Heavens and New Earth. His love and faithfulness are wrapped up in His self-disclosure and promises all through scripture.
Let’s close the way we began. Moses desired to see God’s glory, and by grace God allowed Him to experience His character of love and faithfulness. As if God said, “you want to see me Moses… I’ll show you who I am – compassion, grace, patience, love, faithfulness – to see Me is to know Me.” Now fast forward to the arrival of Jesus. The apostle John says, “So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness (grace and truth). And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father” (John 1:14 NLT). John saw the same thing Moses saw! They both saw God! And they both express seeing Him the same way – Love and Faithfulness! Allow me to be critical here for a moment. So many I know want to see God’s glory; it’s seems to be a common pursuit in charismatic circles – to relive a Moses Exodus 34 moment. But John writes about experiencing God’s glory in the person of Jesus Christ. He spent time with Jesus, three intimate years to be exact. Then he pens a gospel describing God’s amazing love and faithfulness for us to discover the God he walked with for 3 years. I too can behold God’s glory daily as I walk with Jesus and abide in His unfailing love and witness daily, His faithfulness in my life. Just like Moses, and David, and Ethan who wrote psalm 89, I can experience God in all His glory if I choose to abide with Him. As I do that, I will continually discover the depths of His love for me and His faithfulness to me. As I walk with Him, His glory is revealed more and more to me, and I fall deeper in love with Him. I can also learn of His glory (love and faithfulness) by reading the experiences of those as recorded in the Holy Book. From beginning to end, it is one story of God’s love for His chosen people, and His faithfulness to accomplish all that He promised. It’s my story too! Somewhere between Matthew and Revelation, I am one of the redeemed who will stand in Heaven to praise Him forever for His enduring, steadfast love and faithfulness to me, demonstrated in the work of Jesus Christ! I won't find this kind of love and faithfulness in any other human relationship. If that is my heart's desire, may Jesus be my pursuit!
Be blessed!
"Advancing the Kingdom of God by releasing Spirit-filled followers to serve Jesus in freedom and joy."
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