I grew up hearing this word but I think it's safe to say that I never truly knew the meaning. Don't misunderstand me, faithfulness was very much present in my life... but life hadn't thrown much at me yet and because of this, my awareness of my need for faithfulness was inexistent.
With that said, one cannot go throughout this life without eventually experiencing a downpour. A storm. A desert season. I was 19 when I entered my storm. A storm that has lasted 3 years.
Storms will wake you up real quick. Your [false] sense of security crumbles in the rumble of the approaching thunder and the lightning reveals your need to hold fast to something... anything.
Although I do not fully understand why God allows us to walk through trials, I have found that His very essence, the Faithful One, is revealed in those deep, dark, desperate moments... when we suddenly realize that our feeble attempts for survival are no match for the dreadful storms of life. We once thought we were set, ready to trudge through the terrain without need for a map, safety kit, or much less... a savior. But all the while, our journey was held in the palm of Almighty's hand.
We are so blindly clueless.
Trials are not pleasant. I have yet to meet someone who enjoys them. Often, the tendency is to exclaim that God has left, walked out, or left us to die in the storm. But this is not the case and never has been.
By God's grace, I have been able to begin to see life through a new perspective. You see, when it has rained for so long, you have to find a way to see clearly, amidst the rainfall. My desire to even search for a new viewpoint is proof of His faithfulness. That surely isn't of my own accord.
Dread pushes us towards a savior... a real Savior.
This is the richest form of faithfulness that exists on this planet. This is why James so boldly proclaims that we can rejoice in our trials...
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. [James 1:2-4]
In His faithfulness, God allows us to experience the pain of the rain so that we may learn to seek true Joy... a shelter, in God Himself. But that's not all. He knows that we are rough around the edges [to put it lightly] and our hearts need healing, in more ways than one. Trials come not only to point us to our desperate need for Him but also to purify us... thus leading to further joy.
It's a crazy mystery but as Isaiah 55 says... His ways are higher than mine and His thoughts are not my thoughts, so I'm okay with the mysteriousness of it all. I couldn't figure it out, even if I tried.
And to be honest, I wouldn't know His faithfulness like I do now without that 3 year storm. Would I do it over again? I'm not sure. But I sure am thankful for it.
