FOREVER FAITHFUL

"Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God!" - Psalm 90:2

All of God's attributes are the summum bonum - "the supreme good from which all others are derived. They are the best, the greatest, the supreme. All of our good attributes have to bow at the feet of God's attributes. Any good in ourselves come from God and his attributes. If we have seasons where we are loving, merciful, patient or faithful it is because we are made in the image of God, but even those good attributes are, at times, vacilating, fickle and unfaithful because we don't abide in Him. Only God is completely and always faithful in all of His attributes, because He can be no different. He is loving because He is love. He is faithful because He is faithful. It blows my mind to even think about it.

This title, "Forever Faithful," is a redundant phrase. "Forever" is an adverb which means: "for a limitless time; at all times." It is describing the second word in the title, "Faithful," which in itself speaks of eternalness, because God is eternal (forever). The word "faithful" means to "firmly adhere to one's promises." There is never a time God is not faithful to His promises. God is not as man that He should lie (Num.23:19). He cannot deny himself. Faithfulness is part of His very essence and He cannot change. God is complete and perfect in all his attributes, therefore, He is "immutable" and will not change (Mal.3:6; Heb.13:8). But because we are so unfaithful and for the sake of our finite minds trying to wrap themselves around this incomprehensible attribute, we are going to use this term, "God is forever faithful." We must try to grasp the truth that God is perfect, complete and filled with faithfulness and will never change in the quality, duration or effectiveness of all His attributes. He is faithful in His love, mercy, long suffering, forgiving and etc.

God declares Himself faithful to keep His promises to His children (Duet.7:9). Those who have walked with Him and proved Him proclaim His faithfulness. Moses says of God, "He is the Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are law and justice. A God of faithfulness without breach or deviation" (Duet.32:4). David proclaims in Psalms 89:2, "Your faithfulness will You establish in the very heavens (unchangeable and perpetual)". Isaiah said, "Faithfulness shall be the girdle of His loins" (Isa.11:5). Jeremiah, when enumerating some of God's attributes said, "Great and abundant is your faithfulness" (Lam.3:23). Paul, in I Cor.1:9, says, "God is faithful and therefore ever true to His promise." The writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 10:23, "So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable and faithful to His Word." John tells us in chapter one of Ist John, verse nine, "If we confess our sins He is faithful and true to His nature and promises and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

In Psalms 23 David so accurately portrays God's faithfulness in every verse.
Verse one shows His faithfulness in our ever ending relationship with our Shepherd as His sheep to feed, guide and protect us.

Verse two clearly tells us that as we follow Him, He will faithfully give us rest and refreshment after wandering in the desert places of life.

Verse three He faithfully restores our inner selves with His righteousness, not because I deserve it but because His name is "Faithful and True" (Rev. 19:11).

Verse four shows how he faithfully restores our confidence in Him to keep, guide and be with us when we are afraid of evil attacks. And He lifts us up and comforts us when we fall.

Verse five tells us how He faithfully gives us hope and abundance and consecrates us to the Father for His keeping , spirit, soul and body, even while our enemies surround us and would try to overwhelm us (Isa..59:19b).

Verse six shows how His faithfulness covers us as a canopy with His goodness, mercy and unfailing love and will follow us, like the cloud over His people in the wilderness. And His presence will faithfully be with us all the days of our lives and, because of His faithfulness,
we will live in the blessing of that Holy Presence throughout eternity! We can rest in Him knowing that although we don't know what tomorrow holds, we know WHO holds tomorrow!

I hope that you are completely convinced that the God of the universe that loves you with an everlasting love and has said Himself, "I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake , nor let you down or relax my hold on you! Assuredly not!" (Heb.13:5 Amp.) Because He is faithful!

Mary Jones