My wife and I had been married only a few days when we moved into our first home — a 50-year-old, 600-square-foot, unfurnished apartment. We had just finished unloading all of our worldly possessions from a single 4-foot by 6-foot trailer when our new neighbors came to invite us to dinner. The initial conversation went something like this:
“How long have you been married?”
“Ten days, four hours and 10 minutes. How long have you been married?
“Two years.”
(In my mind): “Two years! Amazing! How did you make it so long? How did you manage to hold it together that long?”
While there was no lack of love for my new bride, there was a lack of comprehension about the magnitude of faithfulness required to make a marriage function effectively over a long period of time (we’re now approaching the completion of our third decade together and wonder how such a “long time” can feel so short).
I thought of that story recently when I read again Paul’s words to the Thessalonians at the end of his first letter:
“Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass” (1 Th. 5:24).
God has no lack of understanding of faithfulness like we do. The One who was faithful to Adam and Moses is faithful to you and me and will be to our children’s children as well. The One who has always done what is right will continue to do what is right. The One who saw Israel through the wilderness will direct us through our wilderness. The One who kept His covenant with Israel will keep His promise of salvation to us. He must. It is part of His character to be infinitely faithful. He can only be faithful. It is impossible for Him to be unfaithful.
So when God calls us to Himself, we can be assured that He will also see us through to the end. Everyone who is called to God will be glorified in the presence of God (Rom. 8:28-30). It must be so, because He is faithful.
Every promise of our faithful God is faithfully, eternally secure.
Words of Grace 