Russell A. Cardwell Online

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
—James 1:12

David Jeremiah’s devotional yesterday quoted the missionary J. Hudson Taylor, who paraphrased “have faith in God” (Mark 11:22) as “reckon on the faithfulness of God.” While this does not literally render what Jesus was saying, it very accurately describes the process through which our faith in God develops and matures.

Reckoning is a nautical term, which describes a method of navigating. When stars or distant objects are not visible, you can still plot your course. If you have a fix on your location at a given time, and you know your heading (direction of travel) and speed, you can calculate your present location and chart your course.

The same thing applies to God’s faithfulness. Scripture repeatedly tells us of God’s faithfulness, and that what he promises, he always delivers. For example:

Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
—Joshua 21:45

Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.
—1 Kings 8:56

The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.
—Psalm 145:13

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
—Hebrews 10:23

As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
—Joshua 1:5

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
—Psalm 36:5

O LORD, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done marvelous things,
things planned long ago.
—Isaiah 25:1

There are many more scriptures about God’s faithfulness: in the Psalms alone, there are thirty more verses about his faithfulness. In fact, the whole Bible could be described as a record of God’s faithfulness. But these scriptures would be just empty words were we not able to verify them by experience. All of us can look back and see how events that seemed like disasters at the time turned out to be blessings. And we have all been through many trials that could have destroyed us had not God seen us through. These are our personal records of God’s faithfulness.

Some people may find it easy to trust God. I’m not one of those. My spiritual journey has been difficult, and I have spent many a night on the riverbank wrestling with God. I have no doubt that God is working out his plan for the world, and everything is going to come out right in the end. But it doesn’t always look like what’s good for the world is necessarily going to be good for me. Yes, I have read Jeremiah 29:11. I have it memorized like practically everyone I know. And I know how the life of Joseph worked out for the best. But I’m betting that when Joseph was down in that pit waiting to die, he was not too happy with God’s plan for his life. From that vantage point, he could not possibly see how it was going to work out. From the bottom of the pit, his future didn’t look too bright.

Neither has my future looked good from any of the pits I’ve found myself in. (And it really makes no difference whether you are thrown into a pit, stumble into it, or dig the pit yourself.) But I have gradually learned a valuable skill—the skill of calling to mind my personal records of God’s faithfulness. Certainly, it is important to remember and recount the scriptures that demonstrate his faithfulness in ages past, the promises he has kept, and the promises he has made to us. But at the bottom of the pit, the thing that always is most effective for me in restoring my hope and strengthening my trust in God, is recalling the many times he has been faithful to me, the many times he has kept his word, the many times he has fulfilled his promises, the many times he has been my fortress and deliverer in times of need.

Yet I call this to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
[Because of] the LORD’s faithful love
we do not perish,
for His mercies never end.
They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness!

—Lamentations 3:21-23

So we can reckon on God’s faithfulness. Even when there are no stars to guide us, when there is no light to see, we can call to mind those “fixes” along our course, those points on the chart of our lives where God has delivered on his promises. And by means of these we can plot our course. As long as we remember the times he has proven his unfailing love for us, we can be sure of exactly where we are. And with that knowledge, we can reckon on Gods’ faithfulness.

• God’s Word and God’s Works
• Orchard of the Holy Spirit
• Used for God’s Love
• November 14, 2005
• God’s Palms