But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. —Lamentations 3:21-23
She came to us abused, abandoned, and angry. She had just turned three years old, and we would be her 9th foster care placement. Alone in the world at three? Brothers and sisters, such things ought not to be! My husband and I dropped to our knees and called out to the God who abandons neither widow nor orphan. “Help us, Lord! Help us to be able to help her!” We prayed for wisdom, for guidance, and for all God’s Sovereign power to compensate for our helplessness to parent, to heal such a wounded little soul.
As a result of those prayers, a most compelling conviction gripped us from the start—God made it clear that we must be there for her, constantly. She had been abandoned by her mother and lived in a state of transiency her entire life. We needed to become pillars of constancy and resource for every hour of her day. So when the caseworker wanted to send a car to take her to therapy sessions and back, I said ‘No thanks’—‘I would take her’. And when it became apparent that she needed socialization and enrichment, I enrolled her in a Christian preschool, but first took a job there as a teacher in her room so I would never be where she could not see or interact with me. God called us to utter, committed faithfulness to her so that He could live out His commitment of faithfulness to the orphan through us.
Is it only to the widow and the orphan that God extends His rich, rock-solid faithfulness? Absolutely not! The Scriptures sing from cover to cover the praises of His faithfulness to all His children—His faithfulness that “springs up from the earth and reaches to the heavens”! Think of the wonderful verses that are dear to your hearts already regarding His faithfulness:
“They shall call His name Immanuel, (which means, God with us).” (Matthew 1:23)
“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
“I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
“I will not remove from him My steadfast love or be false to My faithfulness.” (Psalm 89:33)
The fruit of God’s perfect faithfulness in my daughter’s life glows in her person; for today she is a radiant wife and a joy-filled mother of a fourteen month-old son. She is using her life story as a guide and teacher of young women in her church—helping them to trust our trustworthy God!
Oh, store these powerful verses in your mind and their reality in your soul! Rely on their truth, and rest in their promises! He never fails!
Great is the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ!
For Reflection
God’s faithfulness is faultless. Have you seen today the marks of His faithfulness to you? Can you name them and thank Him for them?
Are you praying with an avid spirit (Spirit) for God to intervene in your children’s circumstances and development? If married, do you and your spouse pray together for each one? There is power there!
Are you aware of God’s immediate, Immanuel presence with you as He hovers over you to protect and provide? It comes with “practice” as Brother Lawrence has said…try practicing the presence of God!