The Advent of Faithfulness – December 19, 2013

Suggested Reading:  Hebrews 10:19-37

What must it have been like to be waiting for the Messiah?

Isaiah’s Messianic prophecies were nearly 700 years old, and David’s and Moses’ prophetic words were much older when Jesus was born. Entire generations lived their lives without seeing the promises fulfilled. They must have wondered. They must have questioned. They must have doubted. I find myself looking for fresh signs of God’s faithfulness daily; what must it have been like for followers of God to go through their whole lives waiting and longing for what we now have?

In the midst of our struggles and doubts, God remains faithful. I am not as young as I used to be, and as I look back over the years of my life I can trace the fingerprints of the faithful Master in the grooves of my life. I can see that He was working things together for my good, even in times of trial and suffering. My testimony is but a short shadow of the bright radiance of the glory of God’s faithfulness revealed through the incarnation.

From the very beginning, as soon as Grandpa Adam and Grandma Eve fell in the Garden of Eden, God promised to deliver us. He promised that one of our own, a human, would vanquish evil. Through the centuries and the ministry of many prophets He layered promise on promise, telling us more about what this coming saviour would look like and what he would do. He told us about the conquering of evil and the suffering servant. He told us where he would be born, and how he would die.

Generations of His people watched and waited, studying the already ancient texts and looking for their fulfilment. They must have been tempted to despair as they were sent into exile, or when they were conquered yet again. It is not that God wasn’t speaking, or that He was entirely absent, but they were waiting for Immanuel, God with us.

Then, suddenly there is a star in the sky and a rumour on the wind. Could it be that the Christ, the Messiah of God is Jesus, the son of Joseph and Mary?!

God is always faithful. He always does what He says He will do. His timing is not always what we would desire, but it is always good...it is always perfect. He promised to send His Son and He did. He promised to be with us and to never forsake us and He is always present in and with us by His Spirit. He promised to sustain us until the end, when He will come again, and He will.

......

Questions:

In what ways has God shown His faithfulness to you?

How is God asking you to live out faithfulness today?

How can you rest in God’s faithfulness?