Book V
Book V is an invitation to exuberant praise; it is worship in light of God’s covenant love, His Word, and the reminder that His promise of David’s neverending throne would be fulfilled in the Messiah.
I was engaged to be re-married. A second husband and a second chance. After a decade-long hurtful marriage ended with my first husband leaving, my story was changing. Some saw it as my life being wrapped up with a beautiful redemption bow. In awe and wonder, people would say to me, “Isn’t God faithful?”
I was a divorced single mother. Look at how God was redeeming it! And He was. It was true my story was finding itself with some overtly redemptive threads. I could point to prayers I had prayed that He was answering with this new marriage (though I thought I was asking Him to heal my first). It was all good and so very happy.
What if He hadn’t given me a second chance at marriage, love, and family? Would people still look at this abandoned bride with doe eyes and exclaim, “Isn’t He faithful”?
I hope so. Yes, God often gives us very good gifts on this earth so our hearts should praise Him and revel in thankfulness. However, we also must ask ourselves, is our hope rooted in the rise and fall of blessing? How do our attitudes change based on our circumstances? What does God actually promise us? What is He always faithful to?
Are we willing to accept God’s faithfulness in His closeness, comfort, salvation, and peace? Or do we only equate His faithfulness to gifts and blessings?
These are the hard questions we must wrestle with before knowing the result of our most desperate prayers. The writer of Psalm 118 likely wrote it during a time of plenty, after a period of tribulation. It would have also likely been sung by our King Jesus at Passover under Roman affliction, hours before His crucifixion.
The psalms shout to us all God actually promises. We are His never-abandoned bride. His rule and reign will not fail.
The Lord answers us. (Psalm 118:5)
The Lord is on our side. (Psalm 118:6)
He is our refuge in a dark world. (Psalm 118:8-9)
He is our strength and salvation. (Psalm 118:14)
The most beautiful redemption that can be accomplished in our lives is when we grasp on for dear life to Jesus’s robes, trusting Him to shape our hearts and nailIng all of our hopes on Him.
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41 thoughts on "The Faithful Love of God"
Kasey, I was so blessed by your story and tying it to this scripture. I’m currently in the midst of becoming that divorced single mother. The days are dark but I can honestly, wholeheartedly say that the Lord is still faithful!
This is a good reminder that some of God’s greatest blessings are heavenly and not earthly. ❤
❤️
Thank you all, for your encouragement and prayers for my husband. He got out of bed today after spending nearly 2 days in bed, barely talking to me. We still need a better long term plan and healing, but at least that was one small step forward.
Tina, thank you for putting it so succinctly.
I know I’m late today. May have to add this to tomorrow. But one thing I got from last weeks podcast seems good today. Yes, we are blessed. We are blessed with what God gives us…not things on this earth. We are blessed with eternal life. We are blessed with God’s peace in the storms. We are blessed with His love that never ends. We are blessed with His presence. We are blessed. ❤️
I love very much this verse, Psalm 107:9: “For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness”. It reminds me there were times I was very hungry, there were times I longed for something deeper than this world could give. If we never go through a period of our soul longing and suffering from hunger and thirst (sometimes not knowing for what), we would never know God is the only One that can satisfy these unspoken needs. All the revelations of God or encounters of God always derive from heart-wrenching times (thank you Kasey Moffett for your beautiful story and devotional). In these times, men are humbled to cry out with the uttermost longing, with such a faint hope, only to come across the abundance of mercy and love from the floodgate of Heaven, revealing the never ending treasure ever found- GOD Himself. Let God be our reward, and not His benefits (the term “friends with benefits” always makes my skin crawl, and though sometimes we pursue God like “God with benefits”, and it is so hurtful for God to be perceived as such). He deserves so much more of our love. And if not, He is still good (Daniel 3:18). May we love God for himself, because He alone is more than enough, for the beauty of His Holiness, for the depth of His heart, for the mysteries of His grace for undeserving mankind, for the tenderness of His abundant mercy every morning, and the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus, isn’t that enough? He alone is more than enough. Be blessed dear sisters.
I love that the author of this devotional reminded us that God’s faithfulness isn’t dependent on the things he does for us. He is faithful no matter the circumstances of our lives. I pray that I would remember that when things are good and when things are bad; his faithful love endures forever. ❤️
Changing my mindset to know God’s faithfulness is not necessarily found in gifts and blessings, but by his ever-present love and peace in my life. He is so good!
Such beautiful memories Tina. Thank you for sharing. So many great insights today.
We are told to be grateful in all circumstances, to offer a sacrifice of praise….this is a good reminder that the Lord is blessing us best when “we’re hanging on for dear life”…
Thank you all for the reminders that we are blessed because we children of God. Great song: I’m So Blessed by Cain. It too reminds us we’re blessed regardless of our circumstances.
Hugs & love on this Wednesday
There are multiple verses in Psalm 118 that spoke to me today, these are them:
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
14 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.
17 I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the Lord has done.
21 I thank you for answering my prayer and giving me victory!
23 This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.
24 This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Please, Lord, please save us. Please, Lord, please give us success.
26 Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God, shining upon us. Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you!
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
I received a text from my daughter-in-law earlier saying that the baby she’s carrying, 7 weeks along, has a strong heart beat. I will praise the Lord my God.
Be blessed and sing PRAISES to the LORD OUR GOD now and forever more, sisters.
@Stephanie Hibbert and @Sharon, Jersey Girl. Good thoughts on how we tend to say we are blessed only when good things happen. I have always bristled at #blessed, which even found its way off of social media onto t-shirts and mugs. It seems to imply that the Christian life is full of wonderful things; or it implies, as already stated, that God is blessing us only when these wonderful things happen. This stood out to me from today. “Are we willing to accept God’s faithfulness in His closeness, comfort, salvation, and peace? Or do we only equate His faithfulness to gifts and blessings?”
I AM His never-abandoned bride. His rule and reign will not fail. I BELIEVE this!! Please pray I have as had only 4.5 hours of sleep. I was up rewriting my notes for my class. School never came easy for me.
The Lord answers us. (Psalm 118:5).
I have been reflecting on how God has answered my prayers from the last three years. I was at a toxic work environment and consequently my body and mind were suffering the ordeals of nonprofit/humanitarian work. Add vicarious trauma from work and personal trauma from losing mom to cancer. My body and mind were hanging on by a thread. Finally, the Lord told me I could leave my career, no back up. I was out of work for 9 months. During this time I dwelled in solitude and started therapy.
The last few months I have been able to reflect on how God has heard and answered my cries, honestly of desperation. I have seen God’s provision, financially and spiritually. He has proven to be faithful with blessings and gifts but also in the waiting and darkness.
So true & well said, Stephanie Hubert!
A nice reminder today of the faithful love of God…A few years back I ran into an old friend at a funeral. As we chatted he filled me in on all of his adult children – how they all loved the Lord, all the grandchildren he had and even great-grandchildren. He repeatedly remarked at how blessed he was. Immediately my mind went to my two adult sons, that even though they were raised in a ministry family, they chose to go their own path – not the Lords. We taught them the scriptures, had them in church every Sunday, yet they rejected our faith – not at first, but when they became older. So, what does that mean? My friend believed he was blessed because everything in his family was great. Does that mean I’m not blessed because in mine it’s not? That is how Satan would have me to think! The truth is — no matter what circumstances I am in or have been in – I am blessed! God is faithful, His love is everlasting, I am His child, heaven is my future home! I have my husband, family, church, roof over my head – a washer & dryer (that one can often take for granted) – I am blessed! My sons don’t walk with God, still I am blessed! My daughter and son-in-law love the Lord – I am blessed! God loves me – I am blessed! “Give thanks to the Lord for He IS good: His love endures for ever.” Psalm 107:1 We are blessed!
A beautiful song by Shane & Shane – Though You Slay Me.
Happy Wednesday to you all!
I love You, God! Amen
Good morning sisters!! Feeling rough this morning again. Please pray as I hope to talk with one of my supervisors off the clock about potentially seeing if I could join a new training team/position she may be going into. Praying that God would help me push through and that he would provide a different job soon, because this has been so tiring.
Praying for your UTI @Michelle Patire!! I hope the line at urgent care isn’t super long and you can get your antibiotics quickly!
Great questions to think about in today’s devotion! I’m running a bit late this morning so thank you for praying for my eye. My stye is significantly better! I also bought a new-to-me car yesterday and will have car payments for the first time so I feel a little overwhelmed with that but I know the Lord will provide and my dad helped me with my budget to figure out what I could afford.
Praying you all have a great day <3
Thank you, Jennifer, for these encouraging words.
Yesterday, I had a prayer call and was encouraging a person to trust God is good whether we have apparent blessings or we are in the storms of life. This devotional sums that up, too.
I can hardly sit and do my devotional, which isn’t like me. I’m generally a very healthy and mindful person of my body, but I think I have a UTI. I’m kind of bummed bc I’ve been doing so good with my workouts and I am worried I will aggravate things if I do my leg strength training, today. I will probably go to urgent care so I can get antibiotics quickly.
I know God is still good. This is a good reminder.
I’m one of those people who is hardly sick (praise God but also I’m very disciplined about taking care of my health bc of my weaknesses) — so when I’m sick, I’m super grumpy and irritable. Lol May God and my family have patience for me xD
Thank you Lord for doctors and people to help us when we aren’t fully well. May Your will be done.
a phrase that sticks out to me this week-
“His mercy endures forever.”
As a woman who is in the throes of infertility I have learned to praise God for everything He has done (my husband, my family, my home, etc) and live in the peace and comfort He surrounds me with. Not every day is easy, but it’s through the trials my weaknesses are made strong through the strength God provides. He will see me through!
The Lord is faithful, even when we are not. Thank you Jesus for your redemption, grace and faithfulness.
Father, in this morning I will sing of Your faithful love. Your love endures forever. Even when troubles seem to relentlessly pursue, like bees they surround me (Psalm 118:12) But Jesus! He will drink from the brook by the way, (on His way to rescue me), He will drink from the stream by the road (Psalm 110:7a). He will lift up His head (in victory!) (v 7b). God sent Jesus on a mission of love and rescue. When grief or pain is relentless, He comes. When situations seem hopeless, He comes. Jesus is our Savior. He is zealous, He drinks from streams by the road. He does not stop to relax or rest in a camp on the way, He comes. He just keeps coming for us. “He will lift up His head” is symbolic of God’s favor and victory for His Messiah on the mission. The mission will end with ultimate victory. He wins. In the meantime, keep calling to Him. Look how he fights for us. Be still troubled heart, He is for you. When I call to the Lord, He answers. He is for me. He is my Helper. I will not be afraid (Psalm 118:5-7). These are my battle cries. This is my song. Keep singing to the Lord dear heart. He answers. He sings over us. He is already on the way. Where there is darkness and we cannot see “the Lord is God and He has given us light” (Psalm 118:27a). Selah. Maranatha. Amen and amen.
Thankfulness, faithfulness and mercy are woven throughout today’s Scriptures. May I be reminded each day to be thankful for whatever it brings and to trust the Lord to walk me through it. Memorizing Psalm 118:8 & 24.
TINA – I echo KELLY (NEO)! Especially today – your comments about the photo hit a sweet and painful spot in my heart for those dear ones that have left this earth. Those that were younger than me are the ones hardest to come to grips with and bring the most pain. Remembering to trust in the Lord and be thankful for the time I had with each of them.
Praying through the requests as I read them this week –
DOROTHY
TAYLOR
LAUREN GW
LEHUA
ABIGAIL
RHONDA J
LIZZIE T
MANDI
LORI L
and others I may have forgotten to make note of.
My first memory of crying out to God was when I was seven, and I was told that my older sister was headed to the emergency room. I knew it was life or death, and I wasn’t messing around with my prayer. My prayer wasn’t answered the way I wanted it to be, and we learned shortly after that my sister and her preborn baby had died. For decades after that, I struggled with my faith, knowing that when I asked God for something, I might not get it. How I wish I had been asking God for the things he has promised to give us always: “His closeness, comfort, salvation, and peace.”
THE FAITHFUL LOVE OF GOD
-Thanksgiving for God’s faithful love in many difficult circumstances (Psalm 107)
-Thanksgiving for God’s faithful love in providing the Priestly King (Psalm 110)
-Thanksgiving for God’s faithful love in providing salvation and victory over death (Psalm 118)
Reading Psalm 118 after learning that this could have been the last psalm He sang with His disciples before His arrest, trial, and crucifixion astounded me. It left me breathless and filled with awe and wonder. It deepened my love for my Savior.
He sang words such as these:
-“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.” (verses 1, 29)
He knew that what He was about to face was not good. He was facing betrayal, imprisonment, injustice, torture, abandonment, and death. But because of the faithful love of the Father and His own faithful love for us, He willingly faced all of these things to bring about the good things of our justification, redemption, salvation, reconciliation, propitiation, and sanctification. Wow! My eyes fill with tears in gratitude!
-“The LORD is for me; I will not be afraid.
What can a mere mortal do to me?
The LORD is my helper;
Therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me.” (verses 6-7)
Jesus probably sang these words right before going to the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples and crying, begging for the cup of suffering to be taken from Him. What can a mere mortal do to Him? One of his disciples betrayed Him. All of His disciples abandoned Him and refused to be identified with Him. The religious rulers wanted Him dead because they envied Him. The religious leaders conducted an unjust trial. One of His disciples denied that he even knew Him. The temple guards mocked and beat Him up. The Roman governor sentenced Him to death even when he knew that Jesus did nothing wrong and that the religious leaders were envious of Him. King Herod wanted Jesus to entertain him by performing miracles like magic tricks. King Herod’s guards mocked and beat Jesus up when Herod didn’t get what he wanted. The Roman guards tortured Jesus. The people of Israel cried out for Jesus’ death. People mocked and taunted Him as He was dying. People crucified Him. Yet, He declared He wouldn’t be afraid. He looked on triumph on those who hated Him. He knew before the foundation of the world that these things would happen. He willingly faced all these things for the joy that was set before Him. That joy was the joy that He was doing His Father’s will, accomplishing His Father’s purposes, by redeeming His bride, the Church, you and me, from the consequences of our sin (death) and reconciling us to His Father.
-“It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in humanity.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
Than to trust in nobles.” (verses 8-9)
Throughout everything Jesus faced He continuously sought refuge in His Father, even when it felt like the Father forsook Him.
-“They pushed me hard to make me fall,
But the LORD helped me.
The LORD is my strength and my song;
He has become my salvation.” (verses 13-14)
Yes, people did all they could to make Jesus fall. They thought they had defeated Jesus. Father God did help Jesus. He gave Him the strength to face all that man and evil could do to Him and endure it to the bitter end. As a result, Jesus became our salvation.
-“I will not die, but I will live
And proclaim what the LORD has done.” (verse 17)
Jesus declared His resurrection before it even happened. His death would not be the end of Him. He would conquer death by rising from the dead. He lives! Even now He lives! We proclaim what He has done.
-“Open the gates of righteousness for me;
I will enter through them
And give thanks to the LORD.
This is the LORD’s gate;
The righteous will enter through it.
I will give thanks to You
Because You have answered me
And have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
Has become the cornerstone.
This came from the LORD;
It is wondrous in our sight.
This is the day the LORD has made;
Let’s rejoice and be glad in it.” (verses 19-24)
Jesus is the gate of our salvation. He is the only way we can have access to the Father and be reconciled to Him. He is our salvation. He is the cornerstone. He is the foundation upon which our faith stands firm. Anything else in which we place our trust will prove faulty and will fall. Before Jesus faced everything He was about to face to purchase our salvation, He probably sang out, “This is the day the LORD has made; let’s rejoice and be glad in it.” God created the day we now call Good Friday. He created Judas who would betray Jesus. He created those who condemned Him to death. He created the sun that rose to shine on that day. He created the tree that would be made into the cross upon which He would be nailed. He created the men who beat Him up, mocked Him, taunted Him, and nailed Him to a tree. God created the day of salvation. It’s sad to think about what Jesus had to go through; but, we can rejoice in it because it led to our salvation and reconciliation!
-“LORD, save us!
LORD, please grant us success!
He who comes in the name
Of the LORD is blessed.
From the house of the LORD we bless you.
The LORD is God and has given us light.
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords
To the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give You thanks.
You are my God; I will exalt You.” (verses 25-28)
God granted Jesus success in purchasing our salvation for us. He is the light of the world. He came in the name of the Lord and is blessed. He was the final Passover sacrifice. His death allows God to forgive our sin and give us mercy and grace instead of the death we deserve. Jesus exalted His Father with His life, death, and resurrection. Lord, I give You thanks! May I exalt You in everything I do today!
In my Bible reading this past year, I’ve been struck by how many times the steadfast love of God is mentioned. My first memory of crying out to God
I love your reflection. I have been single for 17 years and have been working in education. I have recently become an assistant principal and received a big pay increase. I remember so many times of scrimping and praying and now I have been rewarded. No I was rewarded each time I came to God and he enabled me to enjoy donations and thrift store finds and a job that I loved and my growing children. Thank you for helping us see the goodness of God in the big yet God is in the by and by.
Thank you for this beautiful reminder of what His faithfulness really means
Oh Amen.
Amen
TINA ❤ Share anytime about anything.
Give thanks in good and bad times for the Lord is worthy of it not because we feel like it. He is faithful to His redeemed ones and merciful to their sin.
ASHLEIGH H – good to see you here yesterday. Continuing to pray for you ❤
I just had to share, sorry!
I am making a picture wall of my family, so I am sifting through old photos to find some that may be a conversation starter. I came across a picture of my beautiful girl, now with the Lord.. there was a mighty explosion in my heart and tears flowed down my face..I hurt as I looked at the face I hadn’t seen in so long oh and I hurt..
BUT GOD..
He didn’t waste those tears, He reminded me that she WAS here, and she lived a good life, that her presence in my life was heart warming and good. He also reminded me of where she was.. with Him in paradise and that it is well here on earth and in heaven.
I cry, I hurt..
BUT GOD..
I will praise Him. I will give thanks for the gift of my precious girl, and also the gift of knowing she is with Him, and that when the time come, when my ‘sunset’ comes, I will see and be with her again..
Praising you Lord God for the gift of Hope you put in my heart each day..
Absolutely holding on to the hem of His garment today whilst singing His praise!
Thank you Lord God, Thank you!
Amen..
I hope you don’t mind my sharing this..!
Amen & Amen!! I always say that the biggest evidence of God’s love and faithfulness is not the high points in my life or the peaks in the journey but the fact that I have survived the lowest points and can come through the other side praising God. The fact that even in my pain and despair I can see how God cares through his people, his word and his presence is a sign that he is sovereign and he sees me through it all.
Love this so much! That we are reminded of God’s goodness ♥️
The most beautiful redemption that can be accomplished in our lives is when we grasp on for dear life to Jesus’s robes, trusting Him to shape our hearts and nailIng all of our hopes on Him…
KASEY MOFFETT, These words are so beautiful! Like The psalmist I shall write them on my heart!
Only yesterday, someone said to me..
“Why do bad things happen to good people”
Ummm, does He(God)not make the sun to shine on ALL.? Or the rain fall on ALL? (Matthew 5:45)
It is a wonder sometimes, how we put ourselves and or others on a pedestal of superiority…Good does not equal redemption, just as bad does not equal unworthy!
GODS GRACE IS FOR ALL ALIKE..
I ABSOLUTELY AM NO BETTER THAN THE NEXT MAN/WOMAN. We are ALL children of God.. (whether we know Him or not)
His love for me is the same love He had for Hitler.. (I’m not going to lie, I struggle with that), or Judas.. or the man that put me in hospital a few times!
In God’s eyes, we ALL are His children, we were ALL knitted in our mothers womb in his faithful, hopefilled love. We ALL are made in His image..(Genesis 1:27)..
Here is the thing, OUR choices, sometimes others for us and circumstances are what changes us, makes the difference to who we are or could be in Him..
BUT GOD..
Ever faithful, ever sure.. does not, would not, ever abandon any of us precious children, whatever our journey. He calls us His own.
God’s faithfulness isn’t dependent on our choices, PRAISE GOD, but for us to recognise that He is Lord, and faithful in all things, we need to know Him intimately. We need to open our hearts to Him. Trust Him. Believe in Him, so that when those moments come, those confusing, painful, heart breaking moments come. When those BUT GOD moment comes, good or bad, we absolutely hold fast to Him, knowing..
The most beautiful redemption that can be accomplished in our lives is when we grasp on for dear life to Jesus’s robes, trusting Him to shape our hearts and nailIng all of our hopes on Him.
Singing His praise today and always, because I believe, I trust, my hope is in Him
BUT GOD..
AMEN..
Sorry, my Dears a tad long and probably winded but my heart just felt so strong for this!
Happy today wrapped in love, hugs and prayers for you and yours..❤
Oh, A M E N!!!!!!!
STEPHANIE HIBBERT, so true! He is our “strength and song” in all circumstances, hallelujah ❤️ I will praise Him in both the plenty and the desert because His grace is not dependent upon blessings.
I love this post! I’ve had issues with people easily blurting out that someone, for example, survived Covid by Gods grace. Not because its not true but because Gods grace isnt any less for the person who did not survive. Or someone would say a sonar photo showed a disability at first but then there was nothing wrong with the baby by the grace of God. Still very true but again for the baby born with a disabillity His grade is still abubdant!