I have a confession to make.

In spite of 30+ years of following Jesus, I still question His faithfulness from time to time.  

Now, I believe He was faithful to the men and women of the Bible. I even have no problem believing that God will be faithful to you. I wonder sometimes if He’ll be faithful to me.   

Here are three reasons why I question the faithfulness of God:

• Stress/Adversity –The relentless and complex challenges of life are often overwhelming and undermine my trust in God’s faithfulness.

• Expectations – Life rarely works out how I expected. When things don’t go according to my plan, I wonder if God really knows what He’s doing. 

• Timing – The Lord doesn’t operate according to my fast-paced schedule. He works at His own pace.  Sometimes, this causes me to panic.

Each of these reasons has validity, but if I’m being really honest, the underlying issue is that I lack trust in God’s character. In other words, there’s a part of me that doubts God is who He says He is.

Notice that the writer of Hebrews says, “He who promised is faithful.”  

He doesn’t say, “He used to be faithful.”  

He doesn’t say, “He might be faithful.”  

He doesn’t even say, “He who promised is faithful if we remain faithful to Him.” 

No, he is declaring the constancy of God’s nature. Essentially, he’s saying- the Lord is, has always been, and will always be…faithful.  

In reality, it’s impossible for the Lord to be anything other than faithful.  Faithfulness is part of His holy, unchanging, eternal DNA.  Throughout the ages, He has proven Himself faithful to His people over and over again.  And He’s not about to stop now. 

Here’s why it’s so important to fully believe in God’s faithfulness:                                                                                

We will only live by faith to the degree we believe He is faithful.

If we don’t think the Lord will keep His promises to us, we will never step out and experience all He has planned for our lives.  Though we live in a world abounding in unfaithfulness and broken promises, we must remember that the Lord isn’t like those who may have let us down.  He is perfectly faithful.  With the Lord, a promise made is a promise kept.  

You might wonder, “What does all of this have to do with Christmas?”

Maybe you’ve never thought of it before, but Christmas is a powerful reminder that the Lord keeps His promises.  It’s an annual celebration of His faithfulness.

“How?” you might ask.

Well, in a humble manger, we find the fulfillment of promises the Lord had made all through the Old Testament.  

Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah, is “born of a virgin” (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:22-23) “in Bethlehem” (Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:4-6).  This baby the shepherds found wrapped in “swaddling cloths” (Luke 2:12) is the promised “offspring of the woman” who would one day crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15).

That’s a powerful promise – wouldn’t you agree? 

So, if life is stressful, not working out according to your plan, and/or not moving along at your desired speed, don’t lose hope.  Christmas shows us many things, but one thing it most definitely shows us is that He is faithful. 

I know my heart needs this reminder.

How about yours?

Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director, RFTH