Reflecting on God's Faithfulness

INTRODUCTION:

It’s the end of another year and often a time of looking back and reflecting on the blessings and lessons of the past year. Reflection has many benefits. One of the major benefits is the ability to see something we would not have seen if we did not take the time to look.

Ever stare at the ocean?  I do.  It's GIANT and makes me feel pretty small.  I like to think of God’s faithfulness, grace and mercy like the ocean.  Like the ocean and its waves, there is a rhythmic consistency that reflects a powerful truth:  that no matter the storm of this and that, God’s faithfulness is an unchanging constant.

This is what we are going to look at today as we wrap up 2024

God’s faithfulness… in order to see it, we need to reflect on it.

Today we are going to be spending the majority of our time looking at Lamentations chapter 3 vs 19-24. 

There are many supporting verses throughout the bible that speak to God’s faithfulness, and you will hear me mention a few of the psalms as we work through the message today.

Scripture: Lamentations 3:19-24 - Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

The key theme of the book of Lamentations is found in these verses. The author (unknown but possibly Jeremiah) affirms that belief in God’s mercy and faithfulness is the key to a restored relationship with God.

So, what is faithfulness? Being reliable, steadfast, and unwavering. Keeping promises, always

true to His Word. 

Remembering (Similar to Reflecting) God’s Past Faithfulness 

• Lamentations 3:21 - But this I have called to mind, and therefore I have hope: 

  • God has given us reasons to hope. We have to recall them. This means we have committed them to memory and stored them in our hearts so that they can be remembered.

• Psalm 77:11-12 - I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.  I will ponder all your work and meditate on your mighty deeds.

  • The words here encourage us to draw strength and reassurance from the remembrance of God's past faithfulness, providing a foundation of hope and trust in His ongoing care and sovereignty.

Meditating (Similar to Reflecting) on God’s Promises because of His Present Faithfulness

We need to know God’s promises, so we are able to stand on them when we are in need.

• Lamentations 3:21-22 - But this I have called to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end: 

  • This is our hope - based on his history, his faithfulness, not an unknown future. God is our hope. We are hopeless by ourselves - but God’s mercy never fails. His love for us has been on display since the very beginning.

• Lamentations 3:24 - “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.

  • Our hope is not in our circumstances. Our hope is in the Lord because of his faithfulness.

• Joshua 1:8 - This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

  • When I read this, I see the importance of a constant, deep, and practical relationship with God’s Word. By engaging with Scripture, reflecting on it, and living according to its principles, believers are assured of guidance, strength, and blessings in their journey.

God Promises Future Faithfulness because His Love and Mercy Will Never End

• What is mercy? Compassionate treatment of those in need, especially when it’s within one’s power to punish them. When God, out of loving kindness, withholds punishment that we rightfully deserve because of our sins.

• There is no sin nor condemnation that is so great, that God’s mercy is not bigger. We can change our mindset to one of optimism- Things could always be worse, and it is because of God’s mercy that it isn’t.

• Lamentations 3:19-20 - Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. 

  • In order to fully grasp mercy, we must first come to the full realization of our need for it. This requires us to fully examine our own hearts and actions to discover our sins, our failures to be obedient to God’s will. We must then accept them, be broken and repentant for them. Until we fully realize how little mercy we truly deserve, we can’t fully accept and comprehend the greatness of God’s mercy towards us.

• Lamentations 3:22 - The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end: 

  • The KJV says It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

• Lamentations 3:23 - they are new every morning: great is your faithfulness. 

  • God’s love is like a river that will never run dry. It is constantly moving and changing. Its source is fresh and new every day, never becoming stagnant.

• Psalm 100:5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. 

  • This kind of caps it off for me.  I read this as an invitation to trust in Him wholeheartedly and to praise Him for His unchanging nature and everlasting “awesomeness”!

CONCLUSION

How do we embrace the truth that God is faithful to us in our everyday lives? How do we continually live this out?  How about a Daily Practice of three things

1.  Acknowledging God’s Presence in Our Daily Lives

Be still - we have to take the time and make the room for God to speak and act.

Know - the most important part of this is to KNOW God. We are not waiting for him to just give us our to-do list- he wants us to KNOW him so that we can exalt him.

God is all around us, in creation, people who come across our paths, opportunities, closed and open doors, etc. we just need to take the time to see him at work in our lives.

2.  Examining Our Hearts 

Referring back to Lamentations 3:19-21 - We have to understand our need for God’s mercy. He will help reveal the areas we need to surrender to his grace if we just ask him.

We should always be examining our heart. 

Are our motives in line with God’s word, our actions in line, do we need forgiveness and mercy for any wrongdoing?

3.  Expressing Gratitude and Praise - 

Gratitude is taking the time to be thankful for the blessings in your life. Praise is acknowledgement and recounting of all the wonderful things the Lord has done for us. An opportunity to speak from our heart to the heart of God. Celebrate what God has done for us.

When we have experienced God’s grace and received his mercy, how can we be anything but grateful?

Our true gratitude and thanksgiving can only come through the humility that we have been given what we don’t deserve - but he gave it anyway!

Illustration: One last illustration, in relation to the ocean… a lighthouse.  A lighthouse is in place to be a beacon of light, to pierce through the darkness, no matter how fierce the storm, it is unwavering guiding sailors to harbor.  God’s faithfulness is like that lighthouse.  In times of uncertainty God’s love is steadfast and His promises are true. His faithfulness illuminates our path, gives us guidance, comfort and assurance.  We can rely on him.

I remind myself of the truth found 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.

God's faithfulness includes His willingness to forgive and cleanse us from our sins. His mercy is new every morning, offering us a fresh start.