Great Is Thy Faithfulness

GOD IS GREAT IN HIS FAITHFULNESS BUT HIS GREAT FAITHFULNESS IS FOR BUT NOT FOR EVERYONE.

The TEXT:
Lamentations 3:20 Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me. 21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness. 24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul," Therefore I have hope in Him." 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD. 27 It is good for a man that he should bear The yoke in his youth. 28 Let him sit alone and be silent Since He has laid it on him.

The TITLE: GOD IS GREAT IN HIS FAITHFULNESS BUT HIS GREAT FAITHFULNESS IS FOR BUT NOT FOR EVERYONE.

Introduction:
If you have just seen your house burned down; If you have just been told you’re your bank has been closed by the Authorities; If you have just come to realize that your savings have been put in serious jeopardy; If you have just been told that your position in the company has been declared redundant and that you must therefore go: if you have just been told that you are suffering from an incurable illness, would you respond to your situation by singing the hymn:
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Refrain

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Would you sing that? It is easier to sing GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS when things are going well and when life is generally favorable. But, if something bad has already taken place, it is difficult to sin GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS.

The PHRASE Great Is Thy Faithfulness in the Hymn is taken from lamentations 3:23. What was the context of the Lamentations 3? A quick historical background. In 922 BC, the Kingdome of Israel was divided into two: the Northern kingdom (10 tribes) and the Southern Kingdom (2 tribes). In 722 BC, the Northern Kingdom crumbled and its people exiled to different parts of the world and never really returned as 10 tribes. In 587 BC, the Chaldeans or Babylonians started the SEIGE of Jerusalem, the capital of the Southern Kingdom. In 586 BC, Jerusalem was captured after a year of terrible siege which resulted to a terrible suffering of the people of the Kingdom. Lamentaions 3 and the words GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS was written after the capture of the City when the people were living in defeat, in misery still nursing the effects of the terrible suffering. After such a terrible suffering, how can one say to God: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS, OH GOD MY FATHER!

When the people were still facing the possibility of a prolonged and terrifying warfare, they were all intensely wishing that they will be spared from the terror that war brings; that they would be spared from the shame of being led out as slaves. But it was not to be the case. But, surprise of all surprises, after the terrible defeat and they were still trying to handle their pains, they acquired a new understanding of the goodness of God. It was the midst of their pains and defeat and they said the words: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS.

Here is an important lesson about God’s faithfulness from this passage and the background story. THE GREAT FAITHFULNESS OF THE LORD IS A SPECIFIC GIFT TO THE FOLLOWING PERSONS: Who are these?

His Great Faithfulness is given:

1. To those who are HOPING in Him.
Lamentations 3:20 Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me. 21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.
What does it mean to HOPE IN GOD?
Ps 42:11. 11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. NIV
To Hope means to be in a difficult and desperate situation but instead of complaining, to wait upon God and say: What is happening is disturbing but God will make a way and I will have the privilege of praising Him. To hope in God means to acknowledge our difficulties- we don’t say we are okay when we are not okay- but we also affirm that the God of the universe in on our side and soon He will do something about our situation. It means to bring our concerns to God- Take it to the Lord in Prayer- and look to the days ahead with confidence even if the present situation is not encouraging.

2. To those who are SEEKING Him
Lam. 3:25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD.
From a study of how and where the word DARASH (Seek) is used in the Old Testament, it becomes clear that to SEEK THE LORD HAS TWO SPECIFIC MEANINGS:
2.1. A life founded on Prayer. Ps 34:4. I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. NASB. Clearly, seeking has something to do with PRAYING. The more intense the prayer, the more intense the seeking. But there is another dimension to Seeking as prayer and it is beautiful. Seeking also means that you believe that your best option during a difficult time is to call upon God and spend time with Him.
2.2. A life founded on repentance and righteousness.
Deuteronomy 4:30 When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice. 31 For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them. 29 But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. NASB
Repentance may not immediately remove your problems but it will surely strengthen you and prepare the way for the revelation of God’s answer. In repentance we receive forgiveness and if you remember 2 Chronicles 7:14, the healing of the land is a divine gift that is given after the first gift has been given. Do you remember what the first gift was? Forgiveness.
3. To those who are WAITING for Him
Lam. 3:25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD.
What does it mean to WAIT FOR HIM? To wait means to be silent while believing that God will act at the right time. This waiting is not the impatient type. It is the waiting of the patient and trusting. It is not the waiting that is accompanied by complaining. It is the waiting that trusts God for His perfect timing and while we wait, we trust, we sing, we do no lose heart and we do not complain in impatience.
Lam. 2:24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul," Therefore I have hope in Him." 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD.

The Hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness is based on some words in Lamentations 3 and it summarizes so beautifully our lessons for today.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Refrain

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Refrain

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!


Our advantage is that God may actually allow us no longer to be defeated nor held in bondage as was true in the case of the people of Jerusalem. We can learn from them and actually avoid the costly and terrifying defeat. We will overcome the challenges of 2009 and we will gather again to celebrate during our anniversary on May 16 and have a wonderful Christmas season in December of 2009.

Are you willing to sing GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS as DOCTRINAL AFFIRMATION OF OUR HOPE IN GOD?