Three Ways God Shows His Faithfulness

Written by Dr. Joannie DeBrito, Family Support Specialist

Most of us will gather later this month to enjoy what I believe is the best mixture of flavors, textures, and colors on the dining room table all year.

At some point, the conversation is likely to turn toward what we are grateful for. I love this part of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, mostly because I wait with anticipation to hear the things my grandchildren thank God for.

Sometimes they make me cry, like when they thank God for their grandparents or for their food, knowing that many people around the world do not have adequate food to sustain them.

More often, however, they make me laugh. One year, my grandson let out a big sigh of relief as he said, “Thank you that my substitute teacher didn’t remember to give us the spelling test last week” followed by his sister who said, “yeah and thank God, for letting me sleep in my own room with the door closed because Papa was snoring all night” and for added emphasis “like a big smelly bear!”

As I pondered what I want to thank God for this year, I appreciated the reminder I received when I thought about Legacy Coalition’s theme for the month of November: Remembering God’s Faithfulness.

Honestly, all the thanks that I have regarding the blessings of my life that I find in my family, friends, community, health, amazing opportunities, undeserved privileges, and God-given gifts pale in comparison to the gratitude I feel for the faithfulness of the Triune God.

The Bible talks about three ways that God shows His faithfulness: through His steadfast love, His forgiveness when we confess to Him, and His provisions and protection. 

1. God’s Steadfast Love and Mercy

Lamentations 3:22-23, on which this beautiful hymn is based, says:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (ESV)

Faithfulness is seen through steadfast love and never-ending mercy. Steadfast love is unwavering devotion and commitment, and never-ending mercy is undeserved kindness.

As flesh and blood examples of God’s love and faithfulness, think about how you are doing as a grandparent. Given those definitions, is your love for each of your grandchildren steadfast? Are you able to consistently respond to them with mercy?

If you are currently enjoying the presence of a precious infant in your life, love and mercy may come naturally with almost no effort. But let’s be honest here. It can be hard to sustain love and mercy for a toddler who spends more time throwing temper tantrums than snuggling. Sibling rivalry can try the patience of the most loving and merciful grandparent. How about the moody teenager or the rejecting, self-involved college student?

Some of you may be suffering from the pain of having a child who has cut off his or her relationship with you and refuses to allow you to have any further contact with your grandchildren. This is heartbreaking.

Whenever I feel my patience wavering as a grandparent, I feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit reminding me that God is faithful even when I don’t deserve love or mercy. God IS love, so it is impossible for him not to love me. With gratitude for God’s enduring faithfulness, I often find myself confessing my faltering love and mercy to God and asking for forgiveness.

2. The Faithfulness of God in His Forgiveness

The promise of God’s faithfulness to forgive is discussed in 1 John 1:9:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (ESV)

If you think about it, this is an extraordinary gift. I can’t imagine going through life, having to carry all the burdens of my sins of commission or omission. I’d be trapped in a prison of shame and unable to use the gifts God has given me to help and serve others. It would be hard to pray and worship the Lord when taunted by the weight of my guilt.

The Lord’s forgiveness of my sins compels me to be thoughtful about forgiving others when they come to me seeking forgiveness. It also gives me more freedom to forgive myself. I am quicker to ask for forgiveness when I have been in the wrong because I know the relief I feel when I am forgiven.

Forgiveness is also the first step toward reconciliation. So, for those of you hurting from conflicts with your children and/or grandchildren, I encourage you to consider how to begin the process of forgiving your loved ones. Open the door to honest, civil conversations that can restore relationships that are important to you.

3. God’s Provisions and Protection Through Trials

Finally, let’s remember the amazing ways that God shows his faithfulness by providing for us and protecting us.

I believe that we come into this world deserving food, water, shelter, safety, and the love of a family, and everything else is a gift. Therefore, I am grateful for what I have and don’t spend too much time wishing for things I don’t have.

In North America, most of us have far more than the basic necessities of life, yet there is a lot of attention focused on getting more, more, more, thinking that the more “things” we have, the more satisfied and content we will feel. We can see, however, that often the people who have the most “things” are the least content.

I remember talking with a woman from Africa who was raising a family and living with the barest essentials. She talked about how she regularly prayed for people in America because “so many of you are wealthy but have poverty of the soul.” I thought that was well stated. This woman had learned to rely on God to provide for her family, and she was genuinely satisfied with the little she had.

I imagine that most of us have not had to go without the things that sustain life in our lifetime. Compared to the suffering of many in other parts of the world, our hardships have been difficult, yet not necessarily traumatic. So I am grateful for God’s faithfulness to provide and protect.

Living With Gratitude for the Faithfulness of God

As grandparents, many of us are also troubled by the difficult situations that we, and some of our children and grandchildren, have had to endure and are living with currently. That can leave us wondering about the faithfulness of God to provide for us and protect us, as referred to in the following verses.

^“He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.” – Psalm 91:4 (ESV)

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19 (ESV)

We may ask why God allows hard times, financial woes, and sometimes, awful things to happen to us and in our families that aren’t a result of our poor choices. After all, He is an all-powerful God and could easily provide and protect in all situations.

I don’t claim to be able to answer that “why” question fully, but I can share from my personal experience that I have seen the potential for good things to come out of the most difficult, sometimes traumatic experiences.

My daughters were exposed to multiple traumatic events growing up in our community, and they continue to struggle with some of the long-term effects of the Covid epidemic, including long illnesses that resulted in lost jobs and financial struggles. Those events have had some serious consequences in their lives and left scars, but have also contributed to their resilience and deep faith in God.

Hard times tend to make people put aside their differences to help each other and learn what they can and can’t live without. We, as grandparents, can encourage faith and reliance on God in our younger family members when there are no logical answers and loss and pain are in abundance.

Sometimes we may not provide things for our children or grandchildren, allowing them to feel some disappointment and minor pain, so they learn how to cope with the hurts of this life and not to be greedy. My faith in God and belief in His faithfulness makes me think that He may withhold provisions or allow pain in our lives to produce something that can be used for a greater purpose in the future.

Instead of succumbing to complete despair when I, or my children and/or grandchildren, are suffering, I cling to the certainty of His faithfulness and the hope of eternity in a world with no pain.