We sang one of my favorite songs at church Sunday – “Goodness of God” – but the enemy whispered seeds of doubt at my favorite line: “All my life you have been faithful; All my life you have been so, so good.” I know it was the enemy because it was in the form of a question meant to cause me to question God’s sovereignty and faithfulness. Here’s what he said: “How can you sing ‘All my life you have been faithful’ when your husband took his own life and you had to raise your kids by yourself? How can you sing of the ‘goodness’ of God when that happened to you?”
Well my friends, let me tell you. I can sing “All my life you have been faithful” because the promise isn’t that there won’t be darkest days but that he will be faithful and true on ALL the days – bright or dark and everything in between.
“All my life you have been faithful” means to me all the ways God has guided my life, even when I wasn’t the most faithful to him.
“All my life you have been faithful” starts with the amazing parents I was born to and being raised in a Christian home. To this day they top the list of some of my favorite people and are such a blessing, giving me and my sister and our families so much love. They give it their all and are one of the first and biggest blessings of my life.
“All my life you have been faithful” means looking back and seeing God guiding my steps even when I made decisions without Him. I didn’t ask Him – aka pray – about where to go to college, what career to study, who and when to marry or when to have children, etc. I made my own decisions, yet even in my rebellion, he was faithful, guiding and blessing over and over again.
“All my life you have been faithful” means during the worst thing that could happen to me and my sons, God took care of us, spiritually, physically, financially – in all the ways – preparing and providing resources we didn’t deserve when I thought there would be none and providing friends and comfort that I didn’t feel worthy of and certainly didn’t deserve. My testimony is that “God will never leave you nor forsake you” is more than just a Bible verse. “Husband to the husbandless and father to the fatherless” is more than just a Bible verse.
“All my life you have been faithful” means in the small and seemingly mundane – the rainbows, the sunrise, someone paying for your coffee in the drive thru, the friendships, even the gift of music to hear and sing, food that tastes so good and flowers that smell good … He is so faithful to give and give and give some more, but sometimes we don’t see it or appreciate it for what it is – God’s gift to us. Every time something good happens, thank God. I often thank God for a clearing in the traffic line that allows me to get out of my congested neighborhood each morning! Thank you Lord for an opening in the traffic so I can safely keep moving.
“All my life you have been faithful” is also a future promise because I’ve still got life left to live and I don’t know what that future holds. We’re in a fallen world so it’s sure to hold more disappoints, hurts, sadness and pain, and I pray those things are minimal because I don’t want to experience them. But if and when I do, God will continue to be faithful just like he always has.