God Is Faithful (Even When It Doesn’t Feel Like It)

Have you ever caught yourself questioning God’s faithfulness? Maybe it was an unanswered prayer, a series of unfortunate events, or unresolved personal turmoil. Whatever caused it, I’m sure it left you feeling raw and perhaps even a little uneasy.

That happened to me this fall. I can still remember feeling physically whiplashed when God responded to a thought running through my mind.

A couple weeks after Jason’s accident I was exhausted for a variety of reasons. Not only was I processing my husband’s injury and trying to maintain normalcy for the kids, but my dad was also in and out of the hospital. 

There was the upcoming school year to prepare for, vegetable produce to gather, beef harvest to coordinate, and several outdoor projects that needed to be wrapped up without my strong hubby’s help.

During that time, there were moments when it was difficult to talk with friends and family. I felt joy for their successes, fun trips, and beautiful renovations. Honestly though? It was hard to stomach those moments when I was thankful to make it through the day without breaking down in front of my children.

One morning, after hearing about another answered prayer for a friend, these words flashed through my mind: Well, even though our life is a gigantic mess right now, at least God is faithful to others.

When God is Faithful to Everyone Else

If you’ve walked through a situation where you felt gutted and left wondering what’s next, you might be nodding your head right now. 

As someone who’s known about Jesus her whole life and lived through His redemptive work, I immediately felt chastised for my thought as God stirred uncomfortable emotions.

“Do you really think I pick and choose who I am faithful to? Do I have favorites? Or only have so much faithfulness allotted? Are you sure I’m only faithful to you sometimes? Perhaps in your exhaustion, you’ve stopped noticing me.”

I’m thankful God’s reply was cloaked in love. There was no guilt trip. Just a feeling of warmth and comfort, as if a parent was tipping their child’s tearstained face up to theirs.

My Heavenly Father expanded my tunnel vision to see the extraordinary ways He was and is providing for us. 

1. Jason’s hand was still attached. Amen!
2. Although there was much work to be done, Jason’s parents live nearby and stepped up in big ways to help.
3. The windows may not have gotten replaced, but they still kept the rain and snow out.
4. My dad had more testing to do, but each one got him closer to a diagnosis.
5. The gardens looked a little wild, and also like nutritious homegrown produce to fill the cellar.

For each groan I lifted up to God, came a gentle whisper of provision and assurance.

He hadn’t forgotten me, or my family, at all. It wasn’t that He was only faithful to some and not others. In the busyness of those days, I had forgotten how to fight for sacred time with God in His Word.

My prayers were still being delivered, heard, and answered. I just didn’t have a clear vision of how God was working for our good – because it looked different than how I pictured it.

Ways to Recognize God is Faithful to All

It can be hard to drown out the distractions that attempt to block our direct line of sight with God, especially when life is chaotic. Many things that truly need to be tended to, demand our time and attention.

This is why it’s so important to carve out time to seek God. Especially in hard seasons. Even more important, is to make a point to be still and listen for God’s response.

As Christ followers, our Heavenly Father desires to lavish us with love. (I John 3:1-2) He does not withhold faithfulness on purpose. He waits in the heavenlies, for us to look up, call out, and surrender ourselves to Him.

Part of surrendering to Him requires us to lay down what distracts us from Him.

Scripture offers the following encouragement when we wonder if God is faithful.

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:21-23

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. Deuteronomy 7:9

How I Remind Myself God is Faithful

I am certainly not perfect, but here are a few helpful habits that help keep my mind and heart in check when I start to doubt God’s faithfulness.

Morning devotional time

Full disclosure! These are simply my goals. As a busy mom, I have had to adjust priorities and responsibilities to make this happen. There is grace on the days I’m not able to fit this in. However, I am deeply blessed and feel a God-given readiness on the days I can. An added bonus is the example we set for our children when they see us making time to know God intimately.

• Let the Bible/devotion be the first thing I read for the day
• Spend time in prayer, starting with praise
• Allow a few quiet moments after reading and praying to hear God

Practice Gratitude

This may seem like a given, but as I shared above, sometimes our vision of God gets clouded when under great pressure. When this happens, grab a sheet of paper and a pen, and come up with 3 things you can be thankful for. 

Consider how you’ve seen God provide:

• resources (financial/material/connections)
• health (healing/diagnosis/forward movement)
• Family, friends, community
• Knowledge, wisdom, peace. laughter

Keep A Soft Heart

If we read further in Deuteronomy 7, we see another way to keep our eyes open to God’s faithfulness. 

Verses 11 and 12 say, “Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.  If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors.”

I have learned the following “states of heart” are a surefire way to miss God’s grace and goodness: 

• Distracted
• Hardened
• Unrepentant
• Disobedient
• Ungrateful

Oftentimes, this looks like praying specifically to confess. When we choose to live apart from God, we don’t see His faithfulness as clearly. Sin, no matter the type, equals separation from our Heavenly Father. I’m so thankful for John’s words in I John 1:9 that remind us God is faithful to forgive and cleanse us when we approach Him with a contrite heart.

Father, I pray you be with the ones who are feeling weary and wondering where you are. I know you will meet them in sacred spaces to reveal exactly how you’ve been faithful. Thank you for grace and mercy undeserved as we walk this world trying to stay in step with you. We praise you for being the one and only faithful God, who answers our prayers. Please keep our tender hearts soft and our vision clear as we seek to know you better. In your name we pray, Amen.