Is He Faithful?

Have you ever wondered, “God, are you faithful?”

This summer, my son called on a Saturday to tell me his good friend had just invited him to go to another country in five days. His friend had lived there for a year working in a school and always wanted to take his friends back there to see it. But it was only five days away until they would leave. My son had a few reservations about going, including that he was due to fly to see us at the end of it.

Well, I thought it sounded great, and I encouraged him. We started to investigate if it was possible. It was like we were on an episode of Amazing Race as we looked at the flight options and how he could make it work.

Not until he got everything booked and confirmed with his friend did I research the country. I had not realized it was a country where people are advised to re-think travel. It had been elevated since his friend had worked there. Fear overtook me about this. I had encouraged the trip, helped him look for flights, and now there was no turning back, and I had not recognized potential dangers.

I decided to call the friend’s dad who knows the country well. He would surely put my mind at ease. “Is it safe?” I asked. “Oh no, very dangerous! But so are parts of our own country,” he replied. I asked, “Did you say anything about this as the trip was being planned?” He replied, “Oh no, God is sovereign.” Well, I know God is sovereign, but shouldn’t you have said more, I’m thinking!

Rather than making me feel better, the dad had made me feel worse. My anxiety was turning to panic. So I went to my favorite place to pray, a place where God always seems to meet me, in a prayer garden. As I prayed, the Lord was encouraging me, as I gave Him my burden and began to receive His peace.

It started to rain, so I decided to leave. As I left, I thought why not drive up on the mountain and watch the sunset. As I was driving, continuing to pray, I asked the Lord about His faithfulness. “Are you faithful?”

I know and have experienced God’s faithfulness throughout my whole life, and all I needed to do was remember that. But God is so faithful that He decided to answer me clearly!

When I got up on the mountain, walking out in the rain with my umbrella, I stood there to watch the beautiful sunset. The rain subsided. As I was standing there, even observing the carefree birds singing (you can see one sitting on the bushes in the photo at the top of this post), my next door neighbor texted me: “Look out towards the road – beautiful rainbow, now a double one.”

Because I wasn’t home, I called my husband to go outside and look for me. He took this photograph:

As I was wishing I could see it, but enjoying the mountain sunset, a text came in from my son, over 700 miles away from us, sharing a rainbow he had seen on his drive home from work:

And I stood there telling the Lord that as much as I loved these two amazing texts, I also wished I could see a rainbow. I turned my head and looked up, and I saw this (a poor photo that did not capture it well!):

Three photos, three different places (two different states!), three rainbows. Three, the number of perfection.

As you may know, in Genesis 9, the rainbow is the sign of God’s covenant with Noah:

 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: ¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.¹⁴ Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. ¹⁶ Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

Genesis 9:12-16 (NIV)

God’s covenants in Scripture are His unbreakable promises toward us. He is the covenant Maker and the covenant Keeper. The very fact that He keeps His word, despite our failings, shows He is a faithful God.

The rainbows represented to me His faithfulness and steadfast love. It didn’t mean my son would be safe. But it meant God would be faithful to us, no matter what.

I felt like leaping and praising the Lord. (Well, I actually did.) I had come with heaviness of heart and left with joy and peace. God answered the question on my heart, the question I already knew the answer to.

As I left, there was a guy playing a tune on his guitar. (You can barely see him in the last picture above.) He told me that when he plays a hymn on the mountain, it’s usually “How Great Thou Art.”

I went home and looked up this hymn. Wikipedia reports, as to the inspiration of this hymn by Carl Boberg, according to J. Irving Erickson:

“Carl Boberg and some friends were returning home to Mönsterås from Kronobäck, where they had participated in an afternoon service. Presently a thundercloud appeared on the horizon, and soon lightning flashed across the sky. Strong winds swept over the meadows and billowing fields of grain. The thunder pealed in loud claps. Then rain came in cool fresh showers. In a little while the storm was over, and a rainbow appeared. When Boberg arrived home, he opened the window and saw the bay of Mönsterås like a mirror before him… From the woods on the other side of the bay, he heard the song of a thrush [a bird]… the church bells were tolling in the quiet evening. It was this series of sights, sounds, and experiences that inspired the writing of the song.”

Oh Lord, my God
When I, in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration
And then proclaim, my God, how great Thou art

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
How great Thou art, how great Thou art

Well, as you might imagine, my son and his two friends had an amazing trip, enjoying the travel to this beautiful country very much! And I see how much I need to release my unfounded fears and sense of control to our Sovereign God!

I encourage you today, take your questions to God. Ask in faith, and believe Him to answer. And then believe what He says. For He is indeed faithful!