Great Is Your Faithfulness!
By Karen D’Amore
“Because of the Lord’s love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22
Trepidation filled my heart as I slowly stepped down the stairs. I needed to hear her voice…assurance that she was still alive. Moriah, my Labrador retriever, was gradually losing her battle to lymphoma. As her cancer-ravaged body deteriorated, my worst fear was finding her dead in her room.
Knowing God’s compassionate heart, I confidently entrusted Moriah to Him. Diligently praying, I enlisted God’s best scenario in taking her from this world. I pleaded for gradual signs marking the nearness of her end…signs that would help align my heart with what my mind knew was inevitable. Conflicted over work commitments and an upcoming out-of-state vacation, I requested God’s perfect timing.
Her eyes became progressively hollow as Moriah’s energy level diminished. A scheduled vet visit proved timely. Her faint breaths grew increasingly shallow; her weary body clung to the examining room floor. She wouldn’t look me in the eyes. I knew it was time! Pulling away…she tried to distance herself from my aching heart. Clutching her in my arms, I whispered in her ear, “It’s okay to go now.” As my tears met Moriah’s cheek, her breaths became undetectable.
I knew from the beginning that the story wouldn’t have a happy ending. Moriah was going to die. God didn’t deliver me from a painful situation; however, He carried me through it in His perfect timing. As my heart grieves over my painful loss, my soul rejoices in the manifestation of God’s faithfulness. The way God honored my labored prayers, in the perfectness of Moriah’s passing…I am awed by God’s loving compassion. My heart resonates with the biblical Jeremiah who, in the midst of despairing circumstances, turned his focus from his affliction and contemplated the infinite mercies of God. Renewed hope sprung up in his heart as he declared, “Great is Your faithfulness.”
In this world, disasters will come, suffering will emerge, and loss is inevitable. As Christ-followers, our hearts rest in the palm of a compassionate Heavenly Father. As we walk through life’s difficulties, He provides us supernatural strength for today and hope for tomorrow. Our lamentation amidst despair can turn to unexplainable joy when we trust in God’s great faithfulness. Jeremiah means “the Lord exalts.” Allow God to exalt you above your lamentation and sorrow, just as He did for Jeremiah and as He did for me! Be transported through prayer and faith from your circumstances to a peaceful state of mind, where you can confidently proclaim…Great is His faithfulness!
GOING DEEPER:
1. What heart changes do you need to make in order to see God’s faithfulness in the midst of adversity?
FURTHER READING:
2 Corinthian 4:8; Psalm 117:2
Married to Dan, Karen, a retired police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at Craig Berns Salon. She’s a leader for Oakwood’s Tuesday a.m. Bible Study and a volunteer at the Wildlife In Need Center.
