In a world where feelings are fleeting, loyalties are broken, and high hopes and expectations sometimes result in disappointments, faithfulness can be a hard concept to grasp. Sure, we can look at the love of family and the support of friends as loyalty. But in the end, they're humans just like us. And their faithfulness cannot compare to the faithfulness of God.
Have you ever been waiting for something? Expecting for something miraculous or wonderful to happen? Have you ever been hoping so desperately for God to intervene in your life or in the lives of your family and friends that you spend hours praying for them? For over a year now, I personally have felt JUST like that. I pray, pray, and pray some more for God to reveal His love and mercy to those who need him most in my life.
But sometimes, it doesn't look like anything's changing.
Or maybe you're trying to figure out what to do after you graduate high school or college. What will you do with your life? What does God want you to do? And how? So you pray, pray, and pray some more for God to reveal His perfect plan to you and show you exactly how to get there.
But sometimes, the answer doesn't come right away.
Or maybe you just feel lonely sometimes. We all do at some point. Though we may be surrounded by family and friends, it's easy to feel alone. Alone in our troubles. Alone in our anxieties. Alone in our thoughts. Sometimes, the glaring emptiness of our social accomplishments or the shame of our mistakes makes us feel so alone that we're scared to go to God at all.
But I have to tell you something. God is faithful.
From someone who's been in all three of those places I just mentioned, I understand completely that it can be SO HARD to be "in the waiting." It can be so hard to keep believing for a miracle when things seem unchanged. It can be so hard to trust God's plan for my future when answers don't come. It can be so hard to come before God sometimes and lay everything down.
Why does God's faithfulness mean so much then? Why must I endure the heartache, the worrying, and the loneliness if God is faithful?
I'm realizing that God was, is, and always will be faithful. He will always be just. He will always be good. Because of that, through heartache and tears, through storms and in sunshine, I can know that He has not given up on me, my life, or the miracles I'm believing for. His faithfulness to me does not automatically eliminate any pain or trouble or question from my life. He does not instantly transform hearts or shower me with answers.
But His faithfulness to me, His steadfast love for me, is what gives me hope. Hope for those I love. Hope for my future. Hope for myself. Hope is what strengthens us as we wait upon the Lord. Hope is what enables us to let go of our expectations and fears and let God work in His way, in His timing, for His purpose in our lives.
Though you may feel like giving up on something you've hoped and believed for, you can trust that God is STILL working in your life and in the lives of those you love. Though you may not feel God's presence or love in your life all the time, you can trust that He has never and will never leave your side.
He is faithful. God is faithful to you.
"Cast all your anxiety upon him because he cares for you."
1 Peter 5:7
~Hannah~
