You are faithful

“Now therefore, our God,
The great, the mighty, and awesome God,
Who keeps covenant and mercy:
Do not let all the trouble seem small before You
That has come upon us,
Our kings and our princes,
Our priests and our prophets,
Our fathers and on all Your people,
From the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.
However You are just in all that has befallen us;
For You have dealt faithfully,
But we have done wickedly. – Nehemiah 9.32-32

The last two lines of this segment really sums things up well – ‘You have dealt faithfully, but we have done wickedly.’

After forty some years of being a Christian I think this is also a perfect summation of my life. All these years, even though I have failed God, He has never failed me. When I have been unfaithful He has remained true. When I have ignored His way He was kept loving me. When I have played the prodigal He has played the role of the loving Father watching out for me and running when He saw me. When I have sinned He has lovingly corrected me to work our righteousness in my life.

God has been faithful while I have been wicked.

The Bible nails it when it says ‘it is only by the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed.’ We deserve nothing from Him – but that doesn’t stop Him from giving. My life is proof that I could not be good enough to be saved. My hope only comes because God is faithful even when I am wicked.

‘Great is thy faithfulness, Oh God my Father.
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not.
Great is thy faithfulness Lord unto me.
As Thou hast been thou forever will be.’