Remembering God’s Faithfulness

When we’re going through a challenging time, it can be helpful to remind ourselves of times when God has been faithful in the past. Recalling his provision can infuse us with hope, belief, and trust that he can and will get us through.

After college, I faced the challenge of finding a job. I was interested in pursuing a position where I could use my degree in psychology, but I also had an interest in youth ministry. I decided to apply for the youth leader position at a local church, and while participating in the interview process, I began attending there. I wanted to determine whether the environment would truly be a good fit.

One Sunday morning, a man who introduced himself and welcomed me asked about my work. I told him I was looking for a job related to psychology, and he suggested I talk with the pastor’s wife because she was familiar with that field. Then he introduced us, and we arranged to meet for breakfast. She told me about residential group homes and gave me the names of some programs to research.

I didn’t receive a job offer for the youth leader position, but I was hired at one of the group homes I learned about from that pastor’s wife. I was so confident that God orchestrated all this that I gave notice at my part-time job after my interview with the group home program. I felt peace about his ability to provide what I needed, and I sensed this job was the next step in his plan.

That’s just one instance of God’s faithfulness to me. I’ve seen his hand in many of my job searches, even with the positions I pursued but didn’t get. While some of the rejection hurt in the short term, I can now appreciate the blessings hidden among the disappointment.

I almost find it funny that I’ve seen God so clearly in my job history in particular because I’m currently a stay-at-home mom. I love being home and caring for my family. And now that both kids are in school full-time, I have the added blessing of being able to pursue my writing goals during school hours and still be present for my children in the afternoon and evenings. I’m confident, however, that if the need arose, God would provide employment for me.

Finding God’s Faithfulness

I believe each person’s life has at least one area where God has intimately and consistently been at work. It could have been in a challenging relationship with a spouse, a child, a parent, or a sibling. It might have through financial provision. (I’ve heard stories of people receiving specific amounts of money they needed, as though randomly. I haven’t experienced that, but I believe God would do that for me if needed.) It could have with a health miracle, or perhaps he provided a specific encouragement or opportunity at just the right moment. Somewhere in life, God has provided time and time again.

Because I’ve seen God’s faithfulness in my jobs, I can trust that he’ll be faithful in other areas of my life. And because he’s faithful to me, I want to be faithful to him. I want to be obedient to what he asks me to do and trust that his purposes are good. Sometimes what I’m asked to do is inconvenient or uncomfortable, but God has promised to be with me and help me. I may worry that interrupting my plans for his work will knock me off track, but God knows what needs to be done, and he’ll help me do it. I don’t have to work and strive in my own power. He doesn’t ask me to do that, nor does he want me to do that. He wants me to work with him and seek his guidance and help.

The Goal of God’s Faithfulness

God’s aim is a close, personal relationship with us. That’s why he created us. His first experiences with people were walking with them side by side in a beautiful garden every evening, sharing his heart with them as they shared their hearts as well. He was heartbroken when that ideal relationship was ruptured by sin. He’s done everything possible to restore it, going so far as to send his beloved Son, Jesus, to earth to die for our sins so we can be restored to a right relationship with God. Jesus even returned to heaven for our benefit—so that we might receive the Holy Spirit to live in us and be our intimate, daily guide in loving and living abundantly.

We are so loved and so cared for, yet we often miss the small kindnesses God extends to us. Just this week I was feeling unseen. And then someone sent a text saying they were thinking of me. That was God showing me he sees me and loves me.

I love when David says, “Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness” (Psalm 26:2–3 NIV). Let’s also inventory our lives and experiences to remind ourselves of what God has done on our behalf and for our good. Remembering those blessings, both small and large, can help us root ourselves in God’s love and trust him in all things and for all things.

Megan Byrd is an author, blogger, and SAHM. She lives with her husband, two children, and cat in Georgia. Megan likes to read, travel, exercise, attend cultural events, and learn. She blogs at meganbyrd.net.

Photograph © Wes Hicks, used with permission