Day 32: Erica Blickens
“He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:24
I’ve been pondering on the faithfulness of the Lord...
And I’ve discovered that, shockingly, sometimes His faithfulness doesn’t look like what I think it should look like. Because I think that friend shouldn’t have cancer; she loves the Lord and we’ve all prayed for her repeatedly. Or that divorce shouldn’t have happened; after all, they’re both believers. Or that child shouldn’t have died; his parents made the faith-decision to move to a foreign mission field, only to lose their 4-year-old in a “freak accident.”
I find that it’s easy to look at this verse and get excited about the promise in it…God who calls you is FAITHFUL – He will SURELY do it! But when I step back for a moment and look at the context, verse 23 starts out saying, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Sanctify. That’s the word that my soul catches on. Because in my experience, “sanctify” isn’t always pleasant. And it is rarely anything other than messy. Really, really messy! Because let’s be honest, taking this sinful, selfish flesh and conforming it to the image of Christ…well, frankly, that’s an impossible task. And, not surprisingly, the flesh doesn’t like it. In fact, the flesh usually goes to the cross kicking and screaming. At least mine does!
So while God’s faithfulness doesn’t always line up with my idea of what it should look like, He is faithful. He is faithful to sanctify us – not just partly, but COMPLETELY. He is faithful to keep our whole spirits, souls, and bodies BLAMELESS at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. If that requires some circumstances that I don’t like or don’t agree with, so be it.
I will boast in the Lord’s faithfulness. Not His faithfulness to answer every single one of my prayers with a resounding “YES!” – because He doesn’t. But in His faithfulness to fulfill every promise that He has made – to never leave nor forsake us, to lead, guide, direct, and sanctify us; to conform us to the image of Christ, and to keep us blameless at His coming. THAT is what God will SURELY do for us.
His Word and His character do not change, and His ways are perfect. So in 2025, I boast in God’s ways over my ways, God’s answers over my expectations, and God’s methods over my presumptions.
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, that You are altogether different from us in character and holiness. You are omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, and You are utterly perfect. We acknowledge Your Sovereignty and we yield to Your ways, even – and especially – when they do not line up with our expectations and our finite understanding. Thank you that You are conforming us to the image of Christ, and You will be faithful to complete the impossible task!
I’ve been pondering on the faithfulness of the Lord...
And I’ve discovered that, shockingly, sometimes His faithfulness doesn’t look like what I think it should look like. Because I think that friend shouldn’t have cancer; she loves the Lord and we’ve all prayed for her repeatedly. Or that divorce shouldn’t have happened; after all, they’re both believers. Or that child shouldn’t have died; his parents made the faith-decision to move to a foreign mission field, only to lose their 4-year-old in a “freak accident.”
I find that it’s easy to look at this verse and get excited about the promise in it…God who calls you is FAITHFUL – He will SURELY do it! But when I step back for a moment and look at the context, verse 23 starts out saying, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Sanctify. That’s the word that my soul catches on. Because in my experience, “sanctify” isn’t always pleasant. And it is rarely anything other than messy. Really, really messy! Because let’s be honest, taking this sinful, selfish flesh and conforming it to the image of Christ…well, frankly, that’s an impossible task. And, not surprisingly, the flesh doesn’t like it. In fact, the flesh usually goes to the cross kicking and screaming. At least mine does!
So while God’s faithfulness doesn’t always line up with my idea of what it should look like, He is faithful. He is faithful to sanctify us – not just partly, but COMPLETELY. He is faithful to keep our whole spirits, souls, and bodies BLAMELESS at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. If that requires some circumstances that I don’t like or don’t agree with, so be it.
I will boast in the Lord’s faithfulness. Not His faithfulness to answer every single one of my prayers with a resounding “YES!” – because He doesn’t. But in His faithfulness to fulfill every promise that He has made – to never leave nor forsake us, to lead, guide, direct, and sanctify us; to conform us to the image of Christ, and to keep us blameless at His coming. THAT is what God will SURELY do for us.
His Word and His character do not change, and His ways are perfect. So in 2025, I boast in God’s ways over my ways, God’s answers over my expectations, and God’s methods over my presumptions.
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, that You are altogether different from us in character and holiness. You are omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, and You are utterly perfect. We acknowledge Your Sovereignty and we yield to Your ways, even – and especially – when they do not line up with our expectations and our finite understanding. Thank you that You are conforming us to the image of Christ, and You will be faithful to complete the impossible task!
Posted in Boast in the Lord \\\'25 pt2
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