GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

On August 7, 2011, FBC began a new worship service and a new Sunday morning schedule. So far our new traditional service has been well attended and loved by all who attend. I grew up on traditional music and have always loved the deep meanings behind many of our older hymns. One of my favorites is “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” I can remember many times growing up in First Baptist Church of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, sitting with my family as we sang that old hymn on Sundays. It is still one of the hymns that speaks to me. We often go to Lamentations for the basis of this hymn, “His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness,” (Lam. 3:22-23). Obviously this is where the main theme of the hymn came from but I would like to venture to another passage and make this song relevant in another way.

“For I am the Lord, I do not change”
Malachi 3:6

Malachi wrote the last book of the Old Testament in which he delivered God’s judgment on Israel for their continuing sin and God’s promise that one day in the future, when the Jews repent, Messiah would be revealed and God’s promises would be fulfilled. Next came 400 years of silence with Malachi’s condemnation ringing in their ears. Then in Matthew 3:2, John the Baptist enters on the scene preaching, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!” The Messiah had come. Now think back to Malachi 3. Malachi 3:6-12 is like a momentary breath of fresh air in the middle of God’s judgment and justice. In spite of Israel’s accusation of injustice in God when He did not act on their behalf and all their rebellion toward Him, Israel’s mere existence was due to the unchanging unwavering character of the Lord: His goodness toward His people and commitment to His promises. God promises His blessings again if they only repent and turn back to Him, “Return to me and I will return to you,” (Malachi 3:7).

Has much changed today? Has God changed? Have we changed? Just take a look at our world today. We still see rebellion toward God all over the world. We still rebel against God in our lives when we sin. We still refuse to follow His perfect plan for our lives. We still sometimes experience the silence of God. God is still saying “Return to me and I will return to you.” God does not change, but we do. God is always waiting for His lost sheep to come back to the flock. God is concerned for you. Just try to imagine a world without God’s mighty hand of protection. But God is not a God who will force us to return to Him. He will allow us to do our own thing and go against Him, but He will be there when we fall and realize we need Him. GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS, LORD, UNTO ME!

Aaron Hodges