Behold His faithfulness

Fix Our Eyes

Who is this God who rules the heavens  

Who measures oceans in His hands  

Who made all creatures for His pleasure  

And from the dust created man  

Who conceived imagination  

Whose justice is our cornerstone  

Who governs history just by speaking  

And calls the nations as His own  

None  like  You,  no  other  God  

Our  eyes  are  on  You  

Immortal,  enthroned  in  light  

We  fix  our  eyes  on  You  

How  gracious  is  Your  heart  toward  us  

How  absolute  Your  providence  

How  jealously  You  love  and  keep  us  

Under  the  shadow  of  Your  wings  

We  fix  our  eyes  on  You  

We  fix  our  eyes  on  You  

We  fix  our  eyes  on  You  

You're  holding  our  complete  attention

Devotional

If you want to read of the Lord being extolled for His great faithfulness, all you have to do is open up the Psalms. Few people have spoken as profusely about the faithfulness of the Lord as David (and his fellow psalmists). These Psalms reveal much about the nature of the faithfulness of God and how it should lead to His glorification. Interestingly, even creation could not have been possible without it, for all of His works are done in faithfulness (Psalm 33:4-6). 

Often we see Scripture will make a statement about the faithfulness of God. For instance, Psalm 40:11 says the following: As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me! If it is true that God is faithful, then the psalmist can trust that God will neither restrain His mercy, nor fail to preserve him. These statements are important because, when we read the Word, what we actually end up considering is whether or not we can really trust the Lord. 

If our faith serves as the entire foundation of our lives and eternity to come, what hope is there for a man whose God is untrustworthy? This is what it boils down to: hope. Our hope is entirely dependent on those statements of God’s faithfulness being true. What would it mean if these statements are true? Well, since we can know them to be true, as attested to by an absolutely enormous cloud of witnesses – the once-barren Sarah, the persecuting Saul, the sea-salted Jonah, the masses of the paralysed, leprous, possessed and dead, the celestial fatherhood of Abraham, the undignified David, the frightened prophet Elijah, the queenly Esther and her people, as well as many more – we can have utter, inexhaustible, wonder-filled hope.

• Hope from the reality of sin

Even though sin is still a reality and we are far from perfect, we know He is perfectly faithful even when our faithfulness waxes and wanes (2 Timothy 2:13). 

See also: Nehemiah 9:33; Psalm 86:15, 89:29-33; Romans 3:3-4  

• Hope for sanctification

When God promises to sanctify us and prepare us to meet Him upon His return, His faithfulness guarantees this will come to pass (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).  

See also: 1 Corinthians 1:8-9,10:13; 1 John 1:9

• Hope in suffering

Though pain may abound, the safest place we can be found is in the hands of a “faithful Creator” (1 Peter 4:19).  

See also: Psalm 119:75; 1 Corinthians 10:13  

• Hope in death

The cross of Christ shows us Jesus, our faithful High Priest, who has atoned for our sins and guaranteed for us an eternal future with Him (Hebrews 2:17).  

See also: Proverbs 16:6; Hebrews 10:23; Revelation 1:5

At the end of the day, our entire hope in Him is founded upon His faithfulness. Without it, we have nothing to hold onto – all is but shifting sand and futile hallucination. This is a harsh prospect. And yet, there is one big “but”. But the Lord is faithful. Like those who mourned in Lamentations, in any and every circumstance let that be the cry of our hearts and the words we resolve to live by: “great is Your faithfulness"! (Lamentations 3:21-24).  

Reflections

1. When we “call to mind” (Lamentations 3:21-24) God’s faithfulness, we not only have Scripture as evidence, but our own lives as well. Reflect on your walk with the Lord thus far. Take the time to list as many instances as you can of God’s faithfulness toward you.  

2. Consider this verse from the old hymn, This Is My Father’s World: 

This is my Father's world

I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas  

His hand the wonders wrought  

The psalmist says that all of God’s works are done in faithfulness, and this includes creation. Do you marvel at creation? Has it ever testified to you before of His faithfulness? In a sense then, creation is part of the great cloud of witnesses. How does this change and fuel your ability to trust the Lord, hope in Him, and call to mind His faithfulness? 

3. For Christians, the ultimate proof of God’s faithfulness is magnificently displayed in the cross of Christ. In what ways does the death and glorification of Jesus guarantee there is hope in death, in suffering, for sanctification, and from sin?