FAITHFULNESS
My Psalm 204
Almighty God, Creator, Redeemer, Abba, Father
I praise You for Your faithfulness to all generations,
Including mine.
I thank You for Your preservation of the covenant
You made long ago with Your people,
That You will be our God, and we will be Your people.
I thank You for remembering us in our struggles,
In our joys, in our sorrows, in our worship,
And thank You for Your faithfulness to me.
I thank You for water and food, cornucopias of plenty
For as we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,”
You have provided feasts, and banquets fit for kings,
Far exceeding our needs. I thank You.
You have led me beside still waters
And continually refresh my soul
With Your Presence.
You have kept my feet from stumbling
And kept me strong to accomplish Your tasks
Established for me from the very beginning.
You have guided me with Your still small voice
And with Your definitive “No!” when I needed doors shut.
You have given opportunities
Far beyond those of my ancestors.
You allowed me to live in this time and place
Blessed far beyond kings’ expectations, or queens’
And too often, I fail to give appropriate thanks
To You for leading and guiding and maintaining
And sustaining, preserving, and blessing.
You have crowned me with years,
even by reason of strength
Past seventy years and kept me under Your wings.
You have allowed me to see the next generation
And the next.
You have provided the grey head of wisdom
In knowing that You are the sustainer of all life,
Even mine.
You walk with me and guide me, and I am grateful.
Thank You that when I rise in the morning,
You are here.
When I walk in the shadows and valleys,
You are here.
When I sin and find Your faithful forgiveness,
You are here.
When I am anxious because I try to do things in my strength,
You are here.
And when I fall, You once more lift me up, gently,
And I know You are here.
I thank You for the men and women of faith
You have provided for me,
An ever-present cloud of witnesses
Who speak wisdom to me,
For in Your faithfulness to them
You guide and direct my paths.
For You, O Lord, provide all things to Your people.
And I bless Your Name and thank You. Amen and Amen.
Scripture
Psalm 31: 1-5
Galatians 5: 22
Think About It
I was privileged to grow up in a home with two loving parents who were wise enough to set limits, to discipline according to God’s laws, and who took their role as parents seriously. I could count on their love, unconditional love, and knew that I had a safe harbor.
They were faithful to each other and to us four children. They allowed us to express our individuality but expected us to excel in whatever our endeavors were. This helped us establish confidence in who we were and what we would become.
I see now, in retrospect, that they were exhibiting the characteristics of our faithful God! By no means were they perfect. Only God is perfect. But they reflected His image to us, and unlike many of my friends who lacked the patterning of parenthood I received, I knew I was loved, I knew consequences of negative behavior, and I learned to trust at home.
Though they never would have admitted it, we had a covenant relationship. They would always be our parents, we would always be their valued children, and there would be unconditional love. They would be faithful parents, and we learned to be faithful and trustworthy as a result.
God said to His people,
And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.[1]
I cannot remember a time when God was not honored in my home. Yes, there were squabbles. Yes, there was sibling rivalry, Yes, there was sometimes favoritism, and discipline was sometimes lax. But we knew God’s principles, and we understood that a Christian home celebrated reverence for God’s way, because God has been faithful to all generations. What a treasure to have been raised in this way.
And it has been true to my generation, in raising our two children. Our lovely daughter exemplifies the grace and beauty of a woman of God, and I see our son, Paul and daughter-in-love, Mary establishing these principles in our grandchildren. What a privilege to see His faithfulness throughout generations!
Prayer Heavenly Father, You have been the perfect provider for Your creation. You give us all we need to sustain Your creation, yeah, even plenty to show Your abundant love and attention to detail. You raise the sun each morning, You sustain the seasons, You even provide us the abilities we so often take for granted. You knit together our very sinews, and Your Word tells us You even notice the tiny sparrow’s fall from the sky. We praise Your Name, we marvel at Your creation, we thank You for not only making us, but sending us Your only Son, that our relationship with You might be redeemed. So teach us, then to number our days, and to spend them in serving You and Your kingdom. For we owe it all to You. In Jesus’ Precious Name. Amen.
DISCUSSION:
- Discuss how parental guidance either mirrors or denies the image of God and the difference this makes in our own styles of parenting.
- Read these verses and discuss: Proverbs 16:31, Proverbs 20:29, Matthew 10:30, Psalm 116:15, Psalm 48:13, Psalm 71:18, Daniel 4:3, Daniel 4:34, Genesis 9:11, Exodus 20:6
- Play, sing, read the words of the great hymn, Great Is Thy Faithfulness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws9kr1k9c6A
http://hymnary.org/text/great_is_thy_faithfulness_o_god_my_father https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/19
[1] Genesis 17:7
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