Part 3: Faithful One

Advent: Who is He in Yonder Stall?

Deuteronomy 7:9 – Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

As we consider the question – Who is He in Yonder Stall, we began by paying heed to what All Heavens Declare about our God. We then saw Him as One who keeps His word, the Promise-Keeper. We now look at yet an amazing facet of our God’s His faithfulness.

God called a childless Abraham out of Ur and led him to Canaan, a land that He promised to give to his descendants, soon be known as the nation of Israel. Abraham believed and waited twenty-five long years in hope (albeit with moments of impatience and helping God, that resulted in Ishmael). Abraham experienced God’s faithfulness as the Lord worked out the ridiculously impossible miracle of the birth of Isaac, at age hundred. God further told Abraham that his descendants would be strangers in a foreign land for four hundred years (Genesis 15:12-16). We know as we go down the pages of Scripture and the annals of history, that all of what God said would happen, did actually happen. He was faithful to His chosen people and to all that He said.

God also was true and faithful, even when the people were not. God brought the Israelites out of Egypt and their bondage with a mighty and miraculous hand. And yet, time and time again, the Bible tells us, God’s people were unfaithful. They went after other gods and did not give the Lord worship and obedience due to Him.

Not only were the people unfaithful, but they were also faithless, they did not believe that Lord would come through for them. They refused to go in and take possession of the land that the Lord wanted to give them (Deuteronomy 1:19-33). They saw the giants great and tall rather than the Lord in it all.

However, God remained faithful. He kept His promise of a Saviour to redeem man. He sent His only Son to be born as man of the virgin Mary. We have an amazing example of faith and humble surrender in Mary, who young and scared as she might have been, chose in faith, to believe that which was declared to her by the angel. Her timeless response, ‘behold the handmaid of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word’ (Luke 1:38) continues to inspire and challenge us today.

Men’s unfaithfulness and faithlessness do not cause God to be unfaithful. God remains faithful. He cannot change His character. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He remains faithful, even when we are unfaithful or faithless.

• Are you struggling with unbelief about a long-time prayer you are yet to receive an answer to? May we like Abraham, choose to trust the Faithful One, who remains the same God today.
• Is God truly the Lord of your life and mine or are there people we love more than God, or are we trusting in our education, jobs, money, power in our lives that we are prioritising and putting our faith in? The Lord our God is One and He alone is worthy of worship (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). May He alone receive our highest praise and deepest love.
• Is there something you have done that causes you believe that God cannot forgive that particular sin? The Bible also reminds us that there is no sin too great that God cannot, or will not forgive. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
• Is there a seemingly impossible task God is calling you to? May we respond like Mary did, in simple faith, humility and complete surrender for He the Faithful One remains.

Lord give me a heart of surrendered trust, resting in Your never-changing faithfulness, I pray.