Psalm 89 speaks of God’s faithfulness over and over – 9 times to be exact – in the midst of tremendous struggles. And it struck me that God’s faithfulness should not, cannot, be up for grabs for me. I can’t praise God for His faithfulness only when He comes through in the way that I want Him to. For example, we are raising over $500,000 for Hope Academy, a private Christian school for at risk kids. We believe that we will open in the fall of this year, but if the money doesn’t come by then, is God not faithful? Of course He is. “God is faithful” must be my posture no matter the circumstances or the context.
It can be really hard to see God’s faithfulness when I look at the brokenness of the world. But eyes of faith trust in God’s character in the midst of confusing and heartbreaking events.
In addition to speaking of God’s faithfulness, Psalm 89 really wrestles with wondering if God’s faithfulness was a mirage. All of God’s promises seem to be broken, and then you get to the last line. “Praise be to the Lord forever. Amen and Amen!” If you read the whole Psalm, it seems like an unlikely ending.
I loved what the New Bible Commentary had to say about this. “When God’s promises seem to have failed (Psalm 89:3-45), then affirm them in joyful song (Psalm 89:1-2) and bring all the grief of unfulfilled promises to God in prayer (Psalm 89:46-50).”
God’s faithfulness must be my starting place, even as I pour our my heart to Him.
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