He Has Always Been Faithful
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David”
—
The gospel writer continues:
“…as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’” (Luke 1:68-79)
There is an old Christian hymn that is titled “He’s Always Been Faithful.” Some of the lyrics go a little something like this:
I cannot remember a trial or a pain. He did not recycle to bring me gain. I can’t remember one single regret. In serving God only and trusting His hand. All I have need of His hand will provide. He has always been faithful to me.
Even though this song was written way after the publication of Luke, I want to believe that Zechariah was perhaps the first to share this sentiment.
This passage in Luke has been dubbed “Zechariah’s song,” and stands at the very beginning of the book of Luke, being preceded by the birth of John the Baptist.
It is important to remember that prior to this passage, Elizabeth had been barren, and Zechariah was sure that he would never be a father. Despite this, Elizabeth, in her old age, becomes pregnant and gives birth to her son John.
Zechariah has an “aha” moment and realizes that despite his disbelief, God has been faithful and fulfilled his promise. Once mute from disbelief, he now vocalizes his praise in this passage. Through his words, Zechariah sets the stage for the coming of Christ in an unconventional way.
But what does it mean to us today to believe that God will be faithful?
I remember when I was a young girl, I had to wrestle with the questions of “if God is so faithful than why am I going through this?” and “if God is so faithful, why hasn’t he gotten me out of this situation yet?”
Friends, let me just say, that it requires patience and waiting. We need to realize that if Zechariah waited a full lifetime for one promise to be granted, we can wait a year or two for the new job, for the admission to our dream college, or for the new house that we so desperately want.
As hard of a pill that it is to swallow, maybe God’s faithfulness is actually seen in the denial of our wants, rather than in the fulfillment of our desires.
Perhaps, God’s faithfulness is found in the quiet and still moments when we feel completely isolated and need a reminder that God has not forsaken us.
The moments where we feel like God is completely unfaithful can be the moments that bring us closer to the wisdom that God has to share with us.
It is hard to recognize that God truly knows what we need and will provide such. For most of us, the waiting and the denial are hard, and we become discouraged that God will remain faithful.
How are we supposed to believe that God is faithful when loved ones are dying of COVID-19, or a family member was involved in a car accident, or we get laid off from our job and are unable to pay our bills? Is God really faithful?
Friends, the answer is admittedly, not always an easy one. The answer is one that Zechariah wrestled with prior to this passage in Luke.
We see him question what the angel has predicted will happen, standing in disbelief that finally, he will have a son.
And did God knock him for his questions? No. The complete opposite.
God reassured him that God would remain faithful and bless him, even though it would require some waiting and patience.
One of the most special things about Advent is that it is a time where we can slow down and anxiously await the celebration of Christmas. If we get caught up in all the hustle and bustle of Christmas parties, final exams, and holiday travel, we will miss the fulfillment of God’s faithful promise. – the coming of the Messiah laid out in Zechariah’s song.
We will overlook all the promises that God has fulfilled in our lives, even when those blessings were long-awaited.
So yes, even when it does not seem like it, God was, God is, and God will always be faithful to us.
In writing this devotional, I was reminded of a quote from Grace Ohio. She says, “after every storm there is a rainbow, no matter how long it takes to show up.”
One could reinterpret this quote to go a little something like this, “after every disappointment there is a fulfillment of a promise, no matter how long it takes us to realize it.”
To truly believe such, we need to remember and celebrate the time of Advent.
The waiting and the watching.
The disbelief.
The unfolding of events.
The fulfillment of a promise.
The faithfulness of God within the stories and within our lives.
The living expectation.
Maggie Parker
CBF Student.Church Intern