The Faithfulness of God

God’s Reminders to His Faithfulness

Confident He will help me where and when I need it.

Rev. Paul J. Bucknell

God's Faithfulness & Video | Trust & Faith | Transfer Values | Faithful Plan | Discerning | Reminders | Questions
Faithfulness of God: Handout pdf | Stream Video
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Knowing God Series Index

Series Introduction| Knowing God | The Revelatory God | Goodness of God | Holiness of God | Power of God | Omnipresent God | Exalted God | Faithfuness of God | Wisdom of God | Mercy of God |Wrath of God | Love of God | Sovereignty of God | Providence of God

Purpose: Show that God's faithfulness is so reliable that past stories are recorded for each succeeding generation to help foster in us that same trust in God's faithfulness. One special exampel is given.

God’s Reminders to His Faithfulness

Trust and faith in God’s faithfulness is so important that God provides many reminders to boost up our confidence in His faithfulness.

In Joshua 3 an interesting passage about crossing over the Jordan River is placed. Why is it there? The crossing over the Jordan River on dry ground was provided future generations a way to affirm the truthfulness of the stories that they would hear from their fathers about crossing over the Red Sea and destroying the Egyptian army.

Why is this historical fact so important? Because it once again affirms God faithfully escorted them out of bondage from the Egyptians.

Joshua 3:11 NASB

"Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan."

As the forty years passed, so did the eyewitnesses of the great miraculous crossing the Red Sea. Only Joshua and Caleb would have remained from that generation. It is inadequate that only one generation witness God’s faithfulness. Each generation must have its own faith and God events. Faith then becomes trust in God’s faithfulness.

Joshua 4:7 NASB

“Then you shall say to them, 'Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.' So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever’” (Joshua 4:7).

God will remind us how consistently He kept His Word in the past to encourage us in our trust in His Word to us today. They were going to need a lot faith to believe that God could do the impossible.

My testimony on God’s faithfulness

God has faithfully watched over each aspect of BFF’s mission training trips to Africa and Asia. They are always fully supported, but not like you would think or I would want!

Here is a chart that reminds us that we often only have little money in hand in the few weeks prior before we go. In 2008 we had only 5% support just nine days before I went!

Most of the funds for this trip came in the last week. Otherwise I would not be able to go. We cannot live by budget but by trust.

God provides just enough to do what I need to do. The same thing is very true this year (2012 spring) when I write this.

I only have one week left to get 66% ($6000+). How do I encourage my faith? I remember what He has done in the past. After returning, I can vouch that He has faithfully provided. In fact, He supplied $1,000 extra when I was overseas.

Once I heard this from my wife, then I could contribute more to the needs there, because more people than planned had attended the leadership seminars.

Praying Through His Attributes

If we are going to absorb the full power of this course on the attributes of God, we need to pray through these themes. Prayer becomes the means these truths about God consistently shape our minds and hearts in Christ Jesus.

This type of prayer is a meditative prayer based on combining two verses: ‘making your requests known to God’ (Philippians 4:6) as well as ‘Whatever is true..., dwell on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

We at once acknowledge our frailties, inabilities, etc. For example, a brother asked if my low donations for the mission trip is typical. Satan comes by and tries to make me feel like it is going to flop and worry about what is going to happen to the pastors and my organization.

In such a situation, I need to pray through the faithfulness of God. The prayer will go something like this,

“Lord, you know the great need we are in. Whether typical or not, You are there for me. You are the One who told me to ‘feed them’ with the little I have, much like that boy with the lunch. Lord You know the little I have. You also know how the evil one keeps trying to make me feel inadequate and that you are not faithful. But You are faithful. That is who you are.

You want me to thoroughly trust You through this time and again manifest Your glorious ways. Thank you for your care for this little one. Take my ‘little lunch’ and feed these hundreds of pastors not only with food but with your Word. Prosper my way that all might know how faithful You are. “Great is Your faithfulness Lord unto me.”

Next => Study Questions & Projects on the faithfulness of God

Biblical Foundations for Freedom ( BFF )

Rev. Paul J. Bucknell