The Overwhelmed ChallengeSample

God is Faithful When I turned 40, a few people asked me, “In 40 years of life what is the one thing you’ve learned about God?” I know a lot of people might have to take some time and think about an answer to give. However, every time someone asks me that question my reply is always the same. GOD IS FAITHFUL! I spent some time reading Lamentations 3:19-27 the day I turned 40 and have pretty much been glued to that passage since that day. In this text the prophet Jeremiah is in a pretty bad situation. Things are not “ideal” in his world, and yet He declares that God is faithful, that His mercies are made new every morning and He will wait on the Lord. • God has been incredibly faithful to me — in good times and in bad. • When my mother passed away from cancer in 1982, He was faithful to me. • When my house burned down in 1984 and my father and I lost everything we had, He was faithful to me. • When my dad was arrested for selling drugs in 1988 and I had to watch him walk out of our home in handcuffs and put in a police car, He was faithful to me. (And, God was faithful to my dad as I was able to see him repent several years later!) • When I was homeless my senior year in high school and just lived with whoever I could live with, He was faithful to me. • When I “happened” to sit behind a guy in school who began inviting me to play basketball at church, He was faithful to me. • When He loved me enough to draw me into a church that preached the Gospel and revealed to me that I was a sinner and was unable to save myself from my sins, He was faithful to me. • When He called me into the ministry, He was faithful to me and has always been with me and has never left me or forsaken me. In hard times in ministry He has been faithful to me (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). • When I had no money and no ability to go to college, He absolutely blew open the doors and made it possible, He was faithful to me (Revelation 3:8). • When I knew He was calling me to start a church, He was faithful to me. We had no experience, money or strategy, but what we had was HIS Word, HIS Holy Spirit and HIS promise that HE would build HIS church! He is doing it!!! • When I got married, He was faithful to me. I had no idea what I was doing and still struggle to be the husband He has called me to be, but He gave me an incredibly patient and godly spouse who loves me and has walked with me through good and bad times. I am so thankful for HIS gift to me in allowing me to marry her. • He has been faithful to me in giving me an amazing daughter and is teaching me through her that HE is a good Father who desires to give good gifts to His children. • He has been faithful to me in surrounding me with godly men and women who love HIM and then love me, who speak truth to me even when it hurts, and who love the church as much as I do and want to see HIS KINGDOM GROW! • He has been faithful to me in teaching me that it’s His voice and not the voice of the critic that matters. He is the One who has called me, saved me and will define me, and if I am focused on “them” then I won’t be focused on Him! • We have a faithful God! In His mercy He pursues us for the purpose of saving us AND sanctifying us. He is patient with us (II Peter 3:9) and HIS kindness is the very thing that allowed me to repent and come to Him (Romans 2:4!) • God IS faithful! My circumstances do not dictate His character!!! I can always trust Him and know that He is in complete control of the universe and that ALL things are ultimately for HIS GLORY and my good (Romans 8:28!) GOD IS FAITHFUL!