Tuesday, November 24, 2020

D.L. Gardner: Great is God's Faithfulness

The prophet Jeremiah warned Judah for more than 40 years to repent or God would allow the dreaded Babylonians to attack them, take them into captivity, and destroy Jerusalem and the Temple. Jeremiah, called the “weeping prophet,” had a tough job. God forbade him from marrying, his message was wildly mocked, and he suffered beatings, imprisonment, and death threats.


Think 2020 has been rough? Try it for more than 40 years without so much as a ‘thank you.’ Nevertheless, in Lamentations this same prophet wrote, “This I recall to my mind therefore I have hope. The Lord’s loving-kindnesses indeed never cease. For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.” Wow!


Inspired by these verses, Thomas O. Chisholm wrote the words of the hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” in 1923, and William Runyan composed the music that same year. Ninety-seven years later Christians are still singing the beloved hymn, particularly as Thanksgiving approaches. What do we have to be thankful for in 2020? That depends on whether one has a grateful relationship with God, or one is a cynic who trusts only in himself or herself.


Christians are thankful God is always faithful and compassionate to His children. Morning by morning God shows mercies and meets all of our needs. Throughout the seasons the sun, moon, and stars “join with all nature in manifold witness” to God’s great faithfulness, mercy and love.


Perhaps after more than 40 years of attacks from his fellow countrymen even Jeremiah contemplated something along the lines of the final quatrain of the hymn. “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.”


Sometimes each of us feels like the whole world is against us, or at the very least is crashing down around us. Scoffers are cursing, laughing, and boasting their own self-righteousness and irreverence for God Himself. “Why God?” we pray, wondering whether anyone's listening. There is. God is always ‘there’ to hear our prayers and our supplications.


When we face those times everyone and everything appears to be against us (and, everyone faces times like these), believers can always look upward away from the hate and anger toward God whose “own dear presence” cheers us and guides us, gives us strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow. Then we know what we have to be thankful for in 2020! “Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.”


With an eternal perspective Christians can see 2020 as a blip on a radar screen. Even those of us who have lost livelihoods, savings, friends and family members know the past is not indicative of what lies ahead, because we have a confident expectation in God’s faithfulness to us.


Cynics among us have no such hope, but trust in their own strengths and in their own mob’s truth and narrative. Something about that kind of togetherness breeds more mob mentality. Hey! The mob rules! The majority rules! Everybody else shut up and go away!


That’s the kind of thing Jeremiah heard every day of his more than 40 years of warnings. He survived and was vindicated, not because of any strength in himself, but due wholly to God’s great faithfulness.


Daniel L. Gardner is a syndicated columnist who lives in Starkville, MS. You may contact him at PJandMe2@gmail.com.



14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great Is Thy Faithfulness is one of the greatest songs that I became aware of during my Presbyterian PCA upbringing. "Morning by Morning New Mercies I See".." All I have needed Thy Hand hath provided, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, Lord Unto Me"!
God Bless everyone !

Anonymous said...

This site is filled with hate and profanity laced remarks, yet when a post like this is made, is it supposed to make everything nice again?
We live in a society that is destroying itself from within. It's like a cancer without a cure.

Your conscience said...

A perfect description of your hero, Donald Trump.
“Cynics among us have no such hope, but trust in their own strengths and in their own mob’s truth and narrative. Something about that kind of togetherness breeds more mob mentality. Hey! The mob rules! The majority rules! Everybody else shut up and go away!” Shame on you Daniel Gardner.

Anonymous said...

This clown is the Hugh Freeze of columnists. Wrong messenger for this type of post. Do better Daniel and maybe someone will take you seriously.

Anonymous said...

10:10, you have it bad. You really should seek help.

Anonymous said...

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32)

Anonymous said...

I once cried because I had no shoes, until I saw a man that had no feet.

Blessed are the peacemakers. They shall inherit the earth.

Anonymous said...

The posters here are proof that the self-proclaimed "tolerant" are the most intolerant in our society.

Good column.

Anonymous said...

Evangelist Robert L. Summer relates the challenging story of a man in Moss Point, MS who was badly injured in an explosion. After losing his eyesight and the use of both hands, the man was greatly distraught, for he could never read the Bible again.
His distressed turned to into great joy after hearing of a women in England who read Braille with her lips. He found a Braille Bible, but was sadly discouraged when he realized the nerve endings in his lips were destroyed. One day, as he lifted the raised Braille letters to his lips, his tongue touched a few letters. He realized he could read with his tongue. Robert Summer reported this man had read the entire Bible over 4 times with his tongue.

Prayerfully, this man will not be standing next to you or me when we are called before the judgement seat of Jesus Christ.

Anonymous said...

@12:57
Someone needs to get that dude a “Wonder Bible” all you have to do is press play and it will read the KJV on repeat.

Anonymous said...

11:18 AM Hugh Freeze is a much better Christian than these cultists

Anonymous said...

That blind man sure gets around! Same story for St Louis, Portland, etc.

Always the same guy, licking the Bible!

(Not disparaging faith, but this is an urban legend, son).

Anonymous said...

I agree. Any liberal is worse than any religious cultist, ever.

Anonymous said...

Please don't mention the name Hugh (whatever) in any conversation regarding faith, The Bible, or Christianity. Otherwise, the usual Anti-Trumpers can go to Hell. They're worse than the Hugh-Worshipers.


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