Great is Thy Faithfulness

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.

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.

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!

It was a beautiful moment last night when my best friend Lindy was walked down the aisle at her wedding ceremony to meet her soon-to-be-husband while this hymn was played. The family and friends who were gathered as witnesses joined in the song. The tears that fell from my eyes were tears of the Holy Spirit moving in me as the Lord's presence overshadowed the human elements of the ceremony and spoke to my heart.

I was very thankful that, before the ceremony started, Lindy and her fiance', Matt, shared what the symbolism of a wedding ceremony means to them. You see, to a devout Christian couple, marriage isn't just a legal arrangement or statement of a commitment in a relationship - it's a testament to God's faithfulness to us, His children. God is waiting for us to walk towards Him freely and with great expectancy--a blushing bride. Likewise, God is eager (like a groom) to come down and get his bride (the Church).

God's faithfulness refers to His strong adherence to His promises. He has promised that He will come. Until then, He is waiting for us and He is thrilled to make us His bride when that day comes. And get this -- God never wavers. God is the definition of loyalty and He asks us to also be faithful to Him and wait for Him.

In a world that offers many other "lovers," it's hard for Christians to remain faithful to an unseen God, much less for those who aren't believers to understand what the heck we're talking about with God being a groom and the church being a bride. Unfortunately, our world offers physical things that are immediately available and offer instant (albeit temporary) satisfaction for our yearnings. As a single person, I can sometimes doubt and question whether or not the wait for love, the wait for companionship, the wait for a partner in crime (haha) is actually out there. "Should I settle for something less than the best? Can't I just seek satisfaction in another outlet rather than the disappointing and seemingly endless waiting?"

Strangely enough, this concept and the confusion and frustrations it causes is something men and women have wondered for centuries. Just read the book of Hosea in the Old Testament where God used the marriage between an honest man and a whore to show that God will pursue us and wait for us to come back to Him if we get impatient and try to choose our own path. For instance, Hosea 6:1 talks about God's excitement and passion for imperfect people, people touched by the world. Or Hosea 2:14 which speaks of God's tender courtship of our affections. He won't relent.

I might have gone off on a tangent for a second there, but all I really wanted to express tonight is my humble appreciation of God and His faithfulness. Knowing that He is there is all the satisfaction I need. He is enough and may I never suggest that I be truly happy and satisfied with anything other than my Lord.