Introduction:
An invisible enemy got in the way of our mankind. As you well know, the world is reeling from a tiny virus, highly contagious, one that has inflicted untold physical and economic pain around the world. Many tears have been shed over the coronavirus and its reign of death, financial ruin, and social anxiety.
One of my colleagues lost his mother in the home land and was devastated by the news of his mother’s death and his sister was infected with COVID-19. He was shattered and broken because he and his family couldn’t be there at mom’s funeral. And within a week he got another shock- his sister passed away due to the virus. No words could console my friend’s sorrow or stop his tears. We’ve been inundated by stories like that, causing tears of sorrow to streak down the faces of individuals and families around the world. When we look at the world we find that everything is messed up. We are troubled with the world situation. If there ever was a time when the world needed hope, grace, unity, and salvation, it’s now. It seems the whole world is in tears.
David Jeremiah writes, “Tears often become trails to Christ. They can pave a way for spiritual healing. The God who invented tears is moved by them. When Hezekiah was dying from an incurable disease, the Lord said, “I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you” (2 Kings 20:5). The psalmist said, “Put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?” (Psalm 56:8). Psalm 30:5 says, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”
Someone called tears “liquid prayers,” and that’s often true. There’s no better time than now to weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15). Global Media Outreach documented last spring as the pandemic was growing, that there was a 170-percent increase in clicks on their search engine ads about finding hope.”
Dr. Joseph Parker said, “Tears are telescopes. I have seen further through my tears than ever I saw through my smiles…. Blessed be God, we can see Jesus through our tears. He knows what tears are. Jesus wept! The eyes that John saw as a flame of fire, the Jews at the grave of Lazarus saw as fountains of water…. Every one amongst us has tearful times. But we use our tears wrongfully if we do not lift up our eyes and look through them unto Jesus in the heavens
Everything around us is changing fast. We are looking for something that would remain constant and consistent. I have some good news; one thing that remains the same and constant is God's very nature. Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever".
All things may change but we can rest assured of God's unfailing faithfulness. He has been our help in ages past and hope for a better future. To be faithful is to be reliable, steadfast and unwavering.
1. Faithfulness of God:
a. In Old Testament:
Deuteronomy 7:9- 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.
Psalm 119:90- God's faithfulness continues through generations
b. In New Testament:
1 Cor. 1:9- God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Thess. 5:24- The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
These verses establish that Faithfulness is an attribute essential to God, without which he would not be God. It is a most glorious attribute of his nature.
What is the meaning of God's faithfulness?
a. God is a promise giver and he fulfills his promises 100%. Humans can give promises but sometimes fail to keep or fulfil their promises. Spouses break their wows of marriage. Politicians give false promises during elections but fail to deliver after they are elected. The consumer goods manufacturers give lots of promises about their products but actual performance may not live up to their promises. Humans can never be 100% faithful.
Numbers 23:19- God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
b. The Lord our God is faithful, always faithful, in all things faithful - This is our confidence in him.
c. God is faithful because He is holy and righteous. God's faithfulness is based on His holy character.
2. God's faithfulness in troublesome times:
It is one thing to experience God's faithfulness in good times but how can we experience that when all things around us are falling apart? We have some people in Bible like Job and Prophet Jeremiah who experienced God's faithfulness in worst times of their lives.
Lamentation has been called “perhaps the saddest book of the Old Testament.” Author was Prophet Jeremiah.
a. The author is an eyewitness of Jerusalem’s siege and fall is clear from the graphic nature of the scenes portrayed in the book (cf. 1:13-15; 2:6, 9; 4:1-12).
b. Jeremiah had a difficult life. This book of Lamentations is his conclusion to life. He is called the weeping Prophet.
What is the FOCUS of this book is all about? Though the Prophet is lamenting over the situation of God’s people, the main focus is found in verse 3: 23, that God offers us something new every morning, because His Faithfulness is Great.
c. Jeremiah’s life is a failure from the earthly perspective. He spent all his lifetime warning Israel to respond to God, but before his ministry is over, the people has lack of response that God utterly destroy Israel. No one listened to him. In 586 B.C. the Babylonian killed everyone, butchered them, burnt and destroyed them; they leveled the temple in the city; and they left Jeremiah alive for him to see the destruction of Jerusalem.
During Jeremiah’s ministry of 40 years he saw no visible result among those he served (Jeremiah 11:19). The way God called him to, yet no visible results among those he served. People hated him and try to kill or destroy him. He has no family to go home to. Read Chapter 12:6. His own family speaks evil of him. They hated him. Read chapter 16:2. It says, “You shall be a single and alone in your life. Jeremiah was never allowed to get married. How terrible it is! He wanted to have a wife and share his life with her. But god said, NO! You shall be single the whole of your life. What an agonizing loneliness! He lived in a constant threat of death and physical pain. Read Chapter 18:18-23; 20:1-2.
Lamentation 3: 20, “My soul continually think of it and is bowed down within me…” Every time I think about my family who hates me; about of having no family of my own; my own people are against me, when I think of them, verse 20 says, “my soul sinks within me.”
3: 21, “But this I call to my mind, and therefore I have hope” What does he recall? Does he recall his affliction and miseries? No! When he have broken emotional help; when I have broken emotional strength; when I am depressed, trapped, burden and out of touch; when I am anxious (verse17); when I am felt weak and hopeless (v.18) and my soul sinks within me (v.20); Just I am going down in all of that, verse 21 read, “I recall to my mind, therefore I have HOPED.
What did he start remembering? Everything was destroyed. Something he has still recalls. Something he still had, written in his mind. What is that?
Read Verse 22-23.Jeremiah remembers the Faithfulness of God. Despite of his suffering, he recalls and had hoped to the mercies and love of God.
3. What faithful God Offers us in troubled times?
a. His unfailing love Read verse 22.
In our failures, God will give us His UNFAILING LOVE. Faith, hope, and love, will abide. There is an abundance of mercy, grace, and goodness in God. God’s love is constant, fixed and steadfast. God is an inexhaustible fountain of mercy, the Father of mercies.
For every breath and moment of our life we are indebted to God's mercy and grace. Remember how many people lost their lives due to natural disasters, and COVID-19 pandemic but you and I are here, safe and alive. It's only because of His grace. We are still alive on the earth simply because God has a special purpose behind this. May be God wants you to commit your life to Him for salvation. May be God wants to use you for His glory if you already know Him personally.
Isaiah 54:10 “For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”
God never forgets, never fails, never falters, never forsakes, and never forfeits his Word. Therefore, we may safely and confidently commit ourselves to him and depend upon him for all the mercies he has promised, both in this life and in the life to come.
b. He promises daily freshness. Read verse 23
They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness. God deliver us fresh load of mercies; of loving kindness; of loving compassion to help us through whatever we have to face. No matter what we going through, God has daily freshness (strength) to come into our life. God supply us strength for the day.
Psalm 23:3- He refreshes my soul every day. It is like God deposits unlimited supply of His grace in our life account every morning.
c. He is our Portion verse 24. That is, even though we lost everything in life: livelihood, liberty, and life itself, God is still my hope and my life. He is a portion large and full, inexpressibly rich and great, a soul satisfying one, and will last for ever.
Psalm 16:5-6- The Lord is my portion.
Habakkuk 3:17-19- I will rejoice in the Lord even when everything is lost.
d. He is our Salvation (verse 25-26)
We have to realize that we are not to have all pleasures in life. We are wasting our time if we have all the pleasure here. We are here to wait for the salvation of the Lord. We have to wait quietly and hope in faithfulness of God.
e. He offers compassion (verse 31-33)
We get confused sometimes, when we think God wants us to have a hard life. He does not afflict willingly. When we are cast down, yet we are not cast off; the father’s correcting his son is not a disinheriting of him. The assurance is that He will show compassion. Have we not seen the goodness and mercy of God in our life?
CONCLUSION: Have you surrendered your life to faithful God? I did it 40 years ago and every day of my life I experienced His faithfulness.
I conclude with the words of David Jeremiah, “We’re living in a weeping world. You and I are God’s answers to its pain. Let’s weep with those who weep. And let’s weep for those who aren’t concerned enough to weep. God can convict them, and He often uses world events to draw people to Himself. You have a big role to fill. Let’s do it with moist eyes.”
