WORDS OF HOPE

Dear HBF Family,

As we near the end of the current stay-in-place order issued by our Governor and hopefully begin to resume our regular worship service schedule, I want to encourage you today by talking to you about Our Ever-faithful God. In a world where every day seemingly brings new revelations of chaos and confusion, we need to stop and ask ourselves if we really trust God. You see, it’s one thing to say ‘I trust the Lord’ when the sun is shining, our health is good and all the bills are paid. But it’s something quite different to trust Him when the economy has flatlined, when unemployment has sky-rocketed, when the dark clouds of failing health settle in around us, and when our finances are slowly dwindling away. In times like that, the question is - who or what can we really trust?

As we all know, we live in a day where things very quickly become outdated and obsolete. Think about it, we buy a car knowing that it won’t last forever, and we purchase new clothes knowing they won’t last more than a few years, and it’s even worse with computers and anything technology related. In addition to these things, companies downsize, friends move away, marriages dissolve, children leave home, and friends and loved ones pass away. It just seems like nothing ever stays the same, that nothing is truly reliable. And yet in a world of ceaseless change, we need to be reminded that God is the only constant!

In Deuteronomy 7:9 Moses declared, "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.” ‘Faithful’, now that’s an important word for today, isn’t it? The Marine Corps motto is: Semper Fi - Always faithful! But how many people do you know who are always faithful? Before you answer that question, let me rephrase it: How many people do you know who no matter what the circumstances are and who no matter how they feel will always do exactly what they say they’ll do every single time and do it with such thoroughness and perfection that you never have to worry about anything they say or do because you know if they say it, they will definitely do it without fail, without change, and without excuse? Most of us probably know some reliable people who seem very dependable to us. But in the end, the ultimate question isn’t about the reliability or dependability of people - in fact, it’s really not about people at all because no person can truly meet all the qualifications of that last question, only God can! He alone is 100% faithful 100% of the time!

Our world is filled with broken promises and we see the effects of it all around us. In fact, if the truth be known, many of us have found ourselves on the bitter end of promises that have been made and broken! In the end we find ourselves asking this question: “Is there anyone out there who really is what they claim to be, and whose word is believable?” Listen, if we’re looking in this world, the answer is no. But if we look outside this world, then we discover that God is exactly who He claims to be, and He can be trusted 100% of the time! Look at the following verses that bear this out: Numbers 23:19 - "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind; does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” I Corinthians 10:13 - “But God is faithful.” I John 1:9 - “He is faithful.”

Taken together these verses tell us that God’s faithfulness is not some minor or secondary part of His character. No, to say that God is faithful goes to the very core of who He is. If God didn’t keep His word, then He wouldn’t be God! Listen, everything that God does rests on His faithfulness and every blessing we receive comes because He is faithful to keep His promises to us. Think of it this way: If God wasn’t faithful then we couldn’t be saved, if God wasn’t faithful then we wouldn’t have any reason to pray, if God wasn’t faithful then we would have no sure hope for the future, and if God wasn’t faithful then we would die in desperate fear wondering if He will keep His promises to us. But wait a minute, we live in faith and die in hope precisely because our God is ever-faithful!

Life can be hard, challenging, and completely unfair. When things don’t go according to our plans, we have a tendency to become frantic and fearful. But take heart because through it all God remains faithful! Right now, you may be going through a season of loss, grief, or uncertainty. But don’t be discouraged, because I have good news for you: no matter what, God’s faithfulness in your life will never waver! Never! Throughout the Bible we see God’s faithfulness evident in the lives of many men and women. In spite of personal difficulties, God continually provided, strengthened, comforted, and supported His children - and He will do the same for you! Let me share with you 4 ways that God will remain faithful in your life:

God is faithful to provide for you - “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) You may not have everything you want, but you have everything you need. Trusting God to provide your needs when you don’t see a way develops a stronger dependence on God, and a depth of spiritual maturity.

God is faithful to uplift and encourage you - “...being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6) Are you feeling overwhelmed? Philippians 4:13 reminds us that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. When you are burdened with the cares of life, God will uplift and encourage you!

God is faithful to comfort you - “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) We all have mourned something: the death of a loved one, loss of a job, friendship, relationship or identity. In times of loss or mourning, the natural tendency is to become distant, discouraged or disenchanted with God. And yet while your emotions can consume you in seasons of loss, God’s faithfulness will carry you through!

God is faithful to strengthen you - “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (II Corinthians 12:9) At times, life has a way of weighing us down and knocking the wind out of our sails. We all have experienced times where we were depleted of our own strength and felt desperately weak. And yet at times like that we must remember that God’s power is made strong in our weakness!

Listen, because God is faithful … every word that He says is true and
every promise that He has made will be kept! Therefore, may our prayer always be: O Lord, teach me to trust when I cannot see, help me to hold on to the rope of faith until I feel the tug from Heaven that tells me You are still there!

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness
O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not
Thy compassions they fail not
As Thou hast been
Thou forever will be

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
Lord unto me

Pardon for sin
And a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer
And to guide
Strength for today
and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside

May God continue to strengthen you and build your confidence in your ever-faithful God! I love you, miss you, and am praying for you!

Rejoicing in His Grace,

Pastor Don Jennings, II