What is Faithfulness?
For the word of
the Lord is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
What is faithfulness?
Faithfulness is defined as, “the
quality of being loyal and steadfast.” If someone is faithful, it means that
they always, without fail, do what they say they will do. They don’t make
excuses to explain why they can’t show up. Regardless of how difficult the
circumstances are, they do exactly what they promise they will do.
What does this mean for me?
It’s fun to watch movies or read
books about fictional characters that do amazing things. We like stories about
people (especially other kids) who overcome big challenges or defeat bad guys. Challenges
like not having enough food, not having friends, or a close relative dying can
be especially difficult when you’re very young because you feel like you don’t
have power to change things or help yourself. So, when we see characters in
movies or books face those same challenges and become heroes, it gives us hope
that we can make everything okay.
The thing about heroes in movies
and books is that they can be defeated. We believe the hero will save someone
from danger in time, but the truth is that they might get delayed. We hope that
the kid in the story who was poor or bullied will grow up to buy a fancy house
and have lots of friends. The truth is that it’s possible neither of those things
will come to pass. No matter how much we promise others that we’ll save the day
or promise ourselves that we’ll be rich and popular, there’s no guarantee that
we will. We simply don’t have the power to make things happen.
Some people would say that Moses is
as much of a hero as Superman! He confronted Pharoah and bravely led the Israelites
all the way into the wilderness. But did you know that Moses didn’t actually
part the Red Sea? It wasn’t him who protected the Israelites from the angel of
death or the Egyptians. The power that turned the rod into a snake, the river
into blood, and that moved the Red Sea was God’s faithfulness. Four hundred
years earlier, God promised Abraham that He would rescue his descendants, and nothing
can stop God once He decides that it’s time for a promise to be fulfilled.
God has never broken a promise. He
always, without fail, does exactly what He says that He will do. From the very
beginning of the world, He has been faithful. This means that no matter how impossible
something seems to us, if He says that it’s going to happen, it does! It means
that we don’t have to try and make good things happen in our lives. We don’t need
to imagine having the power of a superhero because we can choose to trust God
who has real power and who will do good things in your life when you love Him.
What do I do when this is difficult?
We can be sure that God is
faithful to His promises. However, waiting for Him to keep those promises can
be difficult, especially when we don’t know how He’s going to do
what he said He will do. Moses knew that God was going to lead the Israelites
to safety, but He probably never imagined that they would be walking through
the Red Sea! He probably also never imaged that He would be the one to lead
them. What he did know was that God had made a promise, so all he had to do was
be willing to say “yes” to whatever God asked him to do.
As followers of God, our job is
to be faithful to Him. This means that not only do we believe that He
will keep His promises, but that we’re willing to listen when we know that He’s
asked us to do something. When the Israelites arrived at the Red Sea, they
stood still in fear. Even though today we know that God parted the sea, at that
time, they didn’t understand how they were going to get across. Can you imagine
looking at the closed-up Red Sea knowing that God wants you to move forward? If
not for the promise of God, the situation would have been impossible. However, God
did promise to bring them safely out of Egypt, and that meant that all they had
to do was obey. Just as God said, as soon as Moses lifted His hand, the Red Sea
parted and the Israelites walked through.
Conclusion
Sometimes the people that we
trust the most aren’t faithful to the promises that they make to us. Our
parents or siblings or friends tell us that they’re going to do something with
us or for us, and then they don’t follow through. Even if the person doesn’t
mean to break their promise to take us to a movie or buy us pizza for dinner, we
can still feel hurt that the plans didn’t work out. Thankfully, there has never
been a promise that God hasn’t kept. It’s important to remember that even
though people disappoint us, God never does.
God has never broken a promise. He always, without fail, does exactly
what He says that He will do. From the very beginning of the world, He has been
faithful.
Prayer
We are told to
walk like Jesus (1John 2:6), which means that we ask God to help us make the choices that
honor Him. One of those choices is to trust in God’s faithfulness, which can be
really hard. Thankfully, God hears us when we ask Him to help us do what’s
right.
Father,
thank you for your goodness and faithfulness. We know that you have never
failed to keep your promise, and you never will. Help me to trust that you have
good plans for my life, and all I have to do is listen to you so that those
good things come to pass. Help me to keep the promises that I make to others
and to forgive when others don’t keep their promises to me. Help me to be
merciful and faithful like you so that others will see your goodness and
believe in you.
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