God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Cor. 1:9)
He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil. 1:6)
The other night I
was sprawled out on the couch with my kids cuddled up in my lap as I
read them a book. This was a special time for us – the nightly
ritual of reading books before bedtime. But this time became extra
special as the Spirit of God led us to talk about something that I
had not planned.
We were reading, of
all things, a silly yet thought-provoking book by Dr. Seuss –
Horton Hatches the Egg. It’s
a children’s classic that showcases an elephant named Horton who
gets talked into sitting up in a tree on a tiny nest while the lazy
bird flys south for a holiday. It’s quite uncomfortable and after a
few days Horton thinks about quitting and
climbing down out of the
tree. But instead he says, “I meant what I said and I said what I
meant, an elephant is faithful one
hundred percent!”
Winter
comes and icicles are hanging from poor Horton as well as the tree
and still Horton faithfully sits on the egg. Spring comes with
thunder and lightening but still Horton is faithful to his task.
Friends come and mock him, calling him crazy for
acting like a bird, but Horton simply declares, “I
meant what I said and I said what I meant, an elephant is faithful
one hundred percent!”
Summer
arrives and hunters stumble upon him. Instead of shooting him,
though, they laugh at such a ridiculous sight and decide to cart him
away and sell him to the circus. Of course, Horton won’t budge out
of his tree so they ship him – tree, nest, and elephant – across
the ocean where he continues to sit upon his nest. Eventually, after
nearly a year of sitting on his nest, the egg hatches and an
elephant-bird pops out and a new species is born. Horton, true to
form, reminds everyone around that, “I
meant what I said and I said what I meant, an elephant is faithful
one hundred percent!”
The
book, even with its silly plot, teaches many life lessons that my
kids and I had talked about before – the benefits of being
faithful, the rewards of hard work, etc. But this time I asked my
kids, “Who
else do we know that is
faithful?”
We
talked about mom and dad and grandparents and their faithfulness
before they finally got my point: God is faithful one
hundred percent! We talked
about Daniel and the lion’s den, David and Goliath, the fiery
furnace, and other well-known Bible stories. We talked about God’s
promises to protect us and provide for us and how we can trust what
He says in the Bible to come true. After all, He said what He meant
and He meant what He said, for our God is faithful one
hundred percent!
The
kids went to bed feeling happy and secure, knowing that their parents
and their God would watch over them and provide for them. My wife
and I, though, settled down in front of the fireplace and began to
talk about how hard it is to have that childlike faith. After
all, I had been discipling a young man whose life didn’t have a
storybook ending – he went back to his alcoholism despite all my
efforts. Another
dear friend died of cancer even though we fasted and prayed with
everything that was in us. Was God still faithful? Had He let us
down?
In
the natural, looking at only the temporal things of life, it appeared
that God did let us down. But as we talked about God’s perspective
and started looking at things in light of eternity, we realized that
He not only didn’t let us down, He had made provision ahead of
time. Our friend who had
succumbed to cancer wasn’t gone forever, for she is with the Lord
and we will see her soon enough. Jesus died and rose again for that
very reason – that we who believe would share in his victory over
death and the grave. Cancer was not victorious; it was simply a
method the Lord used to bring His daughter home to Himself.
And
when it comes to people making bad decisions with their life, the
world is full of them and God has made provision for them as well.
Jesus willingly went to the cross for that very reason – so that
people like you and me can have a second chance and find new life in
Him. I don’t know if my
alcoholic friend ever came back to the Lord and got victory over the
alcohol, but I know that God is faithful and the seeds that were
planted during that time of his life will bear fruit. I trust the
Lord to call my friend back to Himself and to break the chains that
hold him back from becoming everything the Lord wants him to be.
After all, Phil. 1:6 promises
that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Some
people might say that I’m being naive or overly optimistic. I
don’t think so. I think I am contending for that childlike faith
that trusts in our Heavenly Father in the way that Jesus taught us.
Remember, He meant what He
said and He said what He meant. Our
God is faithful one hundred
percent!
Let’s
Pray Together: Father
God, help me to trust in You. I know that You are faithful; help me
to rest in Your faithfulness. Help me to have childlike faith
in Your protection, Your provision, and Your love for me. Thank you
for Your mercy, Your grace, Your hand upon my life. Forgive me for
when I have fallen short, and help me to get back up and live for
You. Thank you that You are faithful even when I am not. I could use
Your help in these issues I bring You now….(continue praying as you
feel led)
Action
Point: Take time today to count
all the ways that God has been faithful to you. Begin with the great
eternal things He has done for all of us (salvation, forgiveness,
interceding for us, etc.) and then make it personal, thanking Him for
His help when you needed it, His provision at just the right time,
His intervention in your life,
etc.
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