"But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one." 2 Thessalonians 3:3

"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." Deuteronomy 7:9

"He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He." Deut. 32:4

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the one who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

"For You, O Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You." Psalm 85:5

"Faithful Fridays". Well, not lately. I admit that I have shamefully neglected this important part of my blog, for no good reason besides being really super busy and tired, and the fact that there have been some major changes in my life, ministry-wise. I guess that has affected several areas, including this one, more than I was willing to admit. I am human, and to err is human- not perfect, not infallible, and sometimes, not very faithful to the most important things.

One of the reasons why I started this part of my blog is that I feel like it is important to counteract the tendency to "humanize" God- make him more like us so we can identify with Him or make him more REAL, somehow. The regretable thing about doing this is that it can really warp your view of God's character- if you are viewing God with human characteristics, you are making Him appear to be a God with human frailties. God is not human. God is not frail. God is God. The best way to counteract this tendency? Knowing who and what God's word says He is.

I don't know about you, but it makes me feel better to know that God is really nothing like me! He doesn't make mistakes, or let people down for no good reason, or let things slip Him by simply because He is tired or "burned out" or busy with other things. I am so imperfect and so susceptible to worldly traps and tricks, to sin, and to simple human frailty. What if the God I served was like that? What would be the point in serving a God like that?

Even more importantly, what if God "forgot" about me the way it is so easy for me to "forget" about Him? While I have not slacked off on my quiet time, I have slacked off in other areas- this being one. And there is always that temptation to "slack off" on Bible study or prayer time. We are busy people in a fast-paced world. It happens. But God never forgets about me- and He never forgets about you. Even when we ignore Him, or turn our backs on Him because of horrible circumstances that have challenged our faith, even when we find it hard to trust Him and trust IN Him, He never forgets about us. While I do believe that God's heart hurts for those that deny Him, He loves them just the same- much like how I would love my children even when they are telling me they hate me, or how I would wonder and worry and care for them even if they were adults with busy lives & never bothered to call me or communicate with me- and how much more is God capable of that kind of love! "Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!" Isaiah 49:15

There are always seasons in life- the "mountaintop" seasons when you feel peaceful and close to God, when everything is going well and everything is working out... and the "valley" seasons when you feel like you are trudging on alone, when finances are bad and children are stressful, when health fails or when people you respect and love hurt you terribly. I know that sometimes it is harder for me to "feel" God's presence, but I know that He can be counted on- and He says "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5 and Joshua 1:5). If I am feeling further from God, it is not because He has left my side. I also know that, during those times, when it is harder to "feel" God's presence, it is more of a blessing when I trust anyways and see evidence of His faithfulness and provision- it aways blows me away.

During a women's Bible study we studied the book "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" by Joanna Weaver (AWESOME book). (If you don't know the story of Mary and Martha, you can read about it in Luke 10:38-42. It is such a perfect example of how the Bible is relevant WITHOUT help from churches- and is a great story for modern women!). Something she wrote has stayed with me for years as a picture of God's faithfulness. She wrote about how quiet time is time you are spending with God, and He always shows up for it- even if you don't. She came up with a powerful image of Christ sitting there in your living room, waiting patiently while you make the beds and change the diapers and put in a load of laundry- and all of the other ways we get distracted in the busy-ness of life- and feeling like you just don't have the TIME to sit down and spend with Him. "Just a minute, Jesus! Just a second! I have to take care of this!" That image has affected me so greatly that it stays with me whenever the temptation to skip a quiet time comes up- the thought of Jesus sitting there and me ignoring Him moves me to action! He is faithful to show up. "The Lord is righteous in all of His ways, gracious in all of His works. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth." Psalm 145:17-18

I am so glad that God is so much more than me, and so freely gives me love and grace that I don't deserve simply because He can. I feel blessed knowing that He is so far above being "humanized", and that He can be trusted- and counted on- because of His faithfulness. And how grateful am I that He loves me enough to forgive me for my own lack of faithfulness. :)