You Can Always Tell (Every Single Time): God's Faithfulness in Every Season

The Father’s wisdom and knowledge are so far beyond our comprehension that we rarely truly understand what is happening behind the scenes in our lives. He often leads us down paths we never expected, to places we were not looking for, through unsuspecting circumstances. At the same time, there is a rock-solid predictability to His character. We can remain steadfastly confident that regardless of the what, where, when and how of His mysterious ways, the “Who” remains the same. Regarding our Father’s character, we can always remain certain – every single time – that He is faithful and we can trust Him!

A strange tension exists between the absolute certainty of His character and our changing circumstances. Without the guarantee of His faithfulness, we’d be left to wring our hands in wonder if everything could possibly work out. We may have to wait long seasons like Abraham and Sarah for a promised blessing, or we might be taken aback by the seeming insignificance of God’s choice for us – like Samuel was when God revealed Israel’s future king, who was just a shepherd. But we can be sure that the One who sculpted us with His loving hands, hears our prayers, sees our tears and has a heart that is steadfastly faithful and devoted to our ultimate good (Psalm 139; 2 Kings 20:5). 

Life may appear on the surface non-sensical rather than ordered and good, like a tangle of loose strings instead of a tapestry. We at times may feel alone in our wilderness, but God assures us he will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He also promises that he will bring eternal good and purpose from even our most difficult circumstances and seasons of waiting (Romans 8:28). Like Joseph, we may discover that one disappointment leads to another and then possibly another, only to wake up one day and find all the broken pieces have been artfully formed into a mosaic displaying God’s glory in perfect pattern. 

Those of great faith throughout Scripture could never have predicted all of God’s incredible answers to their prayers, but they could stand with confidence on the character of the One they were depending on to lead and care for them. We can have this same confidence as we start and finish every day, in spite of the perplexing difficulties and long seasons of waiting we experience. Though our paths often take us through valleys of waiting and wilderness, we can always trust—every single time—that His character remains unchanging and His mercies are new each morning. Great is His faithfulness, now and forever!

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" (Romans 11:33).

Thriving in the Wilderness

God reminded the people of Israel through Moses and Joshua that they must choose who they were going to serve—whether the gods of the nations or the one true God (Joshua 24:14-15). He provided them with a clear picture of the blessings they would experience if they chose to trust Him and the curses they would receive if they turned their backs on Him to worship idols (Deuteronomy 28:1-68). These outcomes served to remind all of Israel that Yahweh was Lord over all and that, to flourish, they must keep Him at the center of their lives.

Jesus taught a similar concept in John 15 to His disciples by using the analogy of a vine and branches. He reminded them that He was the True Vine and that His people were the branches. To bear fruit in our relationship with Him, we must remain in Him by remaining in His Word through trust. He promised that those who do this will bring God glory by bearing much fruit and showing that they are his true disciples (John 15:8).

Since God is the author of life and is life Himself, it’s logical that to experience flourishing, we need to remain in His presence. The Lord helped me understand this better on a trip to the Grand Canyon several years ago. As we walked around the rim, I noticed three sights that initially seemed unrelated. 

The first was a single, small wildflower growing among weeds on the dry and dusty trail. This flower was unique in that it survived the hot, desert climate, revealing that it had just the right amount of light, water, and shade to flourish. 

As we stood at the south rim of the canyon, I looked out and saw a patch of deep green surrounded by an ocean of brown right in the middle of the canyon. I knew there had to be a spring keeping the plants and grass nourished so they could grow in this sun-scorched spot. 

When I turned to look further at the canyon’s north and south rims, I noticed another stark contrast. The north rim was covered in lush, green pines, while the south was filled with dried, dead plants. The shade on the north rim provided not only a higher altitude but much-needed protection from the harsh afternoon sunlight, allowing the trees to remain green.

As I thought about these three seemingly unrelated  sights, I realized they all had a common theme, serving as a metaphor for abiding in the vine of the Father’s love. To survive and thrive in a harsh climate, they required the right amount of water, air and sunlight. 

Like these plants, we must have the right spiritual elements in our lives to survive and thrive. We need to drink from and be nourished by the water of Father’s Word, strengthened by the air of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and find life and shade in the presence of the Son of Righteousness.

The Lord promises that when we rely on Him and His resources, we will be like a fruitful vine that bears much fruit and does not wither in the heat, much like the plants in the canyon (Psalm 1, John 15). As we consistently, day by day and minute by minute, draw life from God, we not only survive but begin to thrive – despite the harsh conditions of life. 

The promise of God is certain – when we remain in Him, we will receive his abundant spiritual blessings and the strength we need to flourish in an often dry and weary land. 

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1). 

A Tale of Two Hearts: Eli's Silence and Josiah's Repentance

The Lord declared a sobering prophecy over Eli’s life, after years of unfaithfulness and choosing to honor his sons over the Lord: “Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained” (1 Samuel 2:30).  He assured Eli that because he refused to repent and worship the Lord rightly, the priesthood would be forever removed from his family. Instead of the blessing that was originally promised, all his male offspring would live short lives and would be cut off from serving him (1 Samuel 2:30-33).  

Later, God gave Samuel a similar message concerning the judgment that was coming upon Eli and his sons. When Eli heard the message, his only response was, “He is the LORD; let him do what is good in his eyes” (1 Samuel 3:18). On the surface, this seemed to reflect humble submission to God’s decision. But there was a noticeable absence of evidence that Eli had a contrite heart that was responsive to the Lord’s rebuke -- something we see clearly in King Josiah when he was confronted with a prophecy of the Lord’s impending judgment for Israel’s sin and rebellion. 

In contrast, when King Josiah received God's warning of destruction, he responded with humility and true repentance—and, as a result, God honored him. Josiah, who had become king when he was 8, was in his 20’s when Hilkiah the high priest discovered the Book of the Law as they were repairing the temple (2 Kings 22:8). It had been neglected and possibly hidden within the temple complex for about 57 years during the reign of King Manasseh, who the Bible says was the most wicked of all kings. 

When the priest read God’s Word in the presence of Josiah, he was so convicted, he wept and tore his robe and asked Hilkiah to inquire of the Lord about what they should do. He knew they had been disobedient to God and that “great is the Lord’s wrath that burns against us because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book” (2 Kings 22:13). 

God responded to his heart attitude of grief and humility by sending the prophet Huldah with a two-fold message – one of both judgment and blessing.  He warned that while disaster was certainly coming on the people of Israel because they had forsaken God and his Word, Josiah would be spared. 

Because his heart was “responsive and [he] humbled [himself] before the Lord” when he heard of the impending judgment, God determined to pour out his blessings on him (2 Kings 22:19). What should have been judgment for Josiah, as it was for Eli, became a blessing because he turned back to trust the Lord. Just as God declared, he honors those who honor him and is willing to relent when we repent. 

A responsive vs a non-responsive heart

In looking at Eli’s and Josiah’s different reactions to God’s rebuke, we see evidence of different heart conditions. Josiah's response reflects a tender heart that God delights in, as described in Isaiah 66:2 – one that is “humble, contrite, and trembles at God’s Word.” This heart honors God and his instruction, acknowledging him as sovereign Lord. It grieves over sins, not just with emotions, but with actions, as seen in the reforms Josiah enacted to bring the people to repentance and restoration with the Lord. 

On the other hand, an unresponsive heart – as seen in Eli’s life and the lives of most of the kings of Israel – is hardened and insensitive to the Lord’s correction, rejecting his guidance and warning.  Rather than honoring God, previous kings like Manasseh and Amon encouraged idolatry, shed innocent blood, and reversed many of God’s Laws. Like Eli, they failed to uphold God’s holiness and chose to fear and honor man over God. And though for a season they appeared to get away with this hard-hearted response, God’s judgment burned against them. Since they chose to despise him, God declared that they, too, would be disdained. 

How can we get this kind of heart?

Because God favors and honors those who respond humbly to him, it’s important to consider how we can attain this kind of heart. Josiah’s heart was transformed by trust in God and his promises, as he looked forward to the coming Messiah. As those in the New Covenant, our hearts are transformed as we look back at the finished work of Christ on the cross, trusting him to save us from our sins and make our hearts new. 

We see in Romans 8 that all who are in Christ Jesus, who have repented of their sins and trusted in Christ’s redeeming blood, are given a new, responsive heart by the indwelling Holy Spirit.  As Paul writes, if we are in Christ we are a new creation – “the old is gone and the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Once we are in Christ, we are no longer in the flesh with a heart of stone but are now in the Spirit with a soft heart that longs to please God (Romans 8:5–9). This is a gift of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Daily turning back to trust

Yet even those who have been eternally joined to Christ through faith in his atoning blood can begin practicing sin in areas that bring God’s severe discipline, though never judgment, into their lives. Paul gives an example of this in 1 Corinthians 11:27-30, warning that if someone takes of the Lord’s supper in an unworthy way, they are not only practicing sin but will experience the Lord’s discipline. He goes on to explain that this is the reason many are “weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.” 

In 1 Thessalonians 4:6, he warned the church about practicing sexual immorality and wronging others, saying that the Lord will chastise those who commit these sins.  The implication was if they were sinning in these areas, they needed to turn back to trust the Lord that he might relent from sending his severe discipline. 

To guard against an unbelieving heart, God wants us to moment-by-moment present ourselves to him as a living sacrifice as those who are alive from the dead (Romans 6:12-13; 12:1-2), remembering we have been adopted, forgiven, raised up and seated with him in the heavenly places (Colossians 3:1-4). As we stand in our new identity in union with Christ, knowing that we have been given a new heart that longs to please him, we’re able to trust and obey his promises, living for him in a way that brings him glory.

Two different hearts, two different outcomes

At the end of his life, Eli received all the judgment God said would come upon him and his descendants (1 Samuel 4:12-22). He and his sons died tragic deaths, and the priesthood was transferred to the line of Zadok after Ahimelech’s murder by Saul. Josiah’s life, on the other hand, was filled with peace as he trusted the Lord and implemented the reforms he promised, leading Israel back to worship the one true God. Both men sinned against the Lord, and yet both experienced different outcomes. 

Josiah humbled himself before the Lord, while Eli refused to honor the Lord higher than his sons. He could have turned and repented, weeping and tearing his tunic, and ended his days at peace with the sovereign Lord. Perhaps God would have refrained from sending such a terrible judgment. But even if he didn’t, Eli’s story could have ended with worship, bringing glory to God.

I don’t know about you, but I greatly desire to live daily with a responsive heart that’s been given to me by the Lord, turning back to repent when he reveals my sins and humbly submitting to his rightful Lordship over my life. God has promised that he desires to honor and bless those who honor him – not only in this life but in the one to come. 

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).