An act of worship is remembering His faithfulness.

I remember asking God 7 years ago, what is Hope, what does it mean really?  It felt like a nebulous kinda thing, I hope so. He began speaking to me about hope being a real force….and now in a similar way remembering His faithfulness and gratitude is being revealed as a real force.

I don’t understand it. I’ve said to God before, but just being thankful doesn’t feel like anything is getting dealt with.  I don’t just want a bandaid solution for deep problems and the church can’t offer bandaid solutions. 

And yet every time I turn on a sermon from every different source, including what my children are reading for school, it keeps coming back to thankfulness and remembering God’s faithfulness.

We get down on the Israelites for not remembering God’s faithfulness every time they faced something and getting all hot and bothered.   

There are times I’ve faced situations like David and Joshua, presented with a giant and they go who do you think you are to defy the living God…usually I feel that way if I’ve spent a lot of time remembering miracles and worshiping.  There are other times I sound like the rest of the Israelites.

He is faithful when we are faithless.

I remember one night when I was struggling with insomnia, I had the song, He who began a good work in you, will be faithful to complete it, in my heart. (Phil 1:6)

I said to God, ‘well that’s a nice Scripture, but if you don’t actually do it then it’s not very helpful.’  It wasn’t exactly a faith-filled response.

Even so, He kept showing me how to build my hope, build my faith. 

A quote by Randy Clark I found this week says, “Ultimately faith is not about our ability to believe God. It is God’s ability to bring us into a place of belief in Him.”

I have seen God do this, as we follow His prompts, as we continue to wash ourselves in the Word. 

I’ve felt for a while to look up Scriptures on God’s faithfulness and the first NKJV reference to the word faithful is:

“Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant & mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him & keep His commandments”

Duet 7:9

The Name God used for Himself here is: El Hanne’eman, The Faithful God, to support, nourish.

Is 49:15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!

Photo @Saintsandsociety

Psalm 37: 3Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

Kris Vallotten spoke recently about how God has led him out of mental breakdowns three different ways, the first time through deliverance, the second time through medication and rewiring the way he thought via Caroline Leaf and the 3rd time he felt it coming on during Covid and God led him out through thankfulness and remembering. 

He also had a dream where God said to him, “I am inoculating you against 9 deadly diseases, eg bitterness, pride, selfish ambition etc, through gratitude.”

Another man I listened to put it this way; what are your spiritual anchors? What are your rememberance stones, like the Israelites had to remember the miracles of the Lord?

We can also see through this Scripture that not giving thanks leads us become futile in our thinking.

Romans 1:20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse. 21For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.

Hebrews 6:18-19 TPT 

So it is impossible for God to lie for we know that his promise and his vow will never change! And now we have run into his heart to hide ourselves in his faithfulness. This is where we find his strength and comfort, for he empowers us to seize what has already been established ahead of time—an unshakable hope! We have this certain hope like a strong, unbreakable anchor holding our souls to God himself. Our anchor of hope is fastened to the mercy seat in the heavenly realm beyond the sacred threshold

1 Corinthians 1:9 – “God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.”

2 Thessalonians 3:3 – “The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”

1 Thess 5:23May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through & through. May your whole spirit, soul & body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful, & He will do it.

Hebrews 10:23, NIV: Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful Tim 2:13 – If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself

And while I gather Scriptures regarding faithfulness, please enjoy this Hope Scripture Printable

Five Minute Friday: Worship

I know there are many songs about God’s faithfulness, but if you would like a new one tonight, may I suggest Faithful Father by Brian Doerksen?