Hymns for Motherhood - Great Faithfulness

Great is Thy Faithfulness

The theme of faithfulness has woven into my life this year. My One Little Word is “Faithful.” Although I wanted to be more faithful to God and His Word, God has stepped out into the light and shown me His Faithfulness.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee,
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not,
As Thou hast been,Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above;
Join with all nature in manifold witness,
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own great presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.

~~~

Through the adoption process, our God reminded me that He was in control – and that it would be good. I learned to let go (a little) and know that sometimes my plans don’t go as I wish.

The night before she was placed in our arms I kept repeating in my heart: “God, You are Faithful.” Faithful. We were here. The work of 15 months was coming to a close and I was going to have her.

After we received her, we knew that she was going to be much worse. We had prepared our hearts, but not enough. We realized that even though some parents get their children and things are not so bad medically – we were not going to be those parents.

The questions and the lack of answers and clear direction were so very difficult. Those days were just hard.

But I tried to remember that our God is Faithful. He had gone before us. He knew this. And He had prepared my heart in ways I didn’t realize.

Each day He provided the grace that I needed. Friends on our trip would encourage us with noticing how she was improving (which she did each day). Family back home sent encouraging text messages. Friends sent emails and prayers. So many prayers were prayed and God used all of those to keep us going during those hard days in China.

One day a fellow adoptive momma sent me an article from No Hands But Ours. I realized that we weren’t alone in this hard place. Others have walked this road. God gives grace. If He can give grace to other parents, He can give grace to us. She quoted Mathew 6 where Christ says not to worry about tomorrow – for God provides for today. I realized that so many fears were based on the future of this girl and God said: Stop worrying about her future. I have provided for her today. I have provided for you today. And I will continue to provide for today. Everyday.

God is making it beautiful. Not because all of the pieces fit together. No, the pieces of my heart are still very much broken. They are scattered all over the floor and sometimes I can’t make sense of this story anymore. No, God is making it beautiful because after I read that blog post, I began to look up. I looked into His face and realize that all of those truths I’ve been speaking for 20+ years to my heart, they are real. All the truth floods into my broken heart and fills it. Truth. His truth. The truth of His Word. Truth is the only thing filling me up and making me whole again.

The truth of His faithfulness carried my heart out of the waters and into the trusting ground.

As I was driving home from the store the other day, I began listening to music and just the right song came on. It was the perfect song for me at that moment. I used to think that when God spoke to my heart with a verse or a song, I needed to hang on to that moment (or story, or song). I had to hang on because that moment would fade….. Each day His mercies are new. Everyday He will give me something to hold on to and get me through. Each day He will be faithful.

Each day God will provide because He is faithful. Can I say that God is still faithful, even after all we’ve been through? Yes, yes I can. His faithfulness is new every morning. Our God is Faithful. This is what my story is telling.

This song by Sara Groves I have listened to and sung for years. I have always loved this song, but I can’t sit at the piano and not play this song without weeping now. It truly has become the anthem of my life. It is my song and my story:

He’s Always Been Faithful (Sara Groves)

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Morning by morning I wake up to find
The power and comfort of God’s hand in mine
Season by season I watch Him, amazed
In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me

I can’t remember a trial or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain
I can’t remember one single regret
In serving God only, and trusting His hand
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me

This is my anthem, this is my song
The theme of the stories I’ve heard for so long
God has been faithful, He will be again
His loving compassion, it knows no end
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful, He’s always been faithful
He’s always been faithful to me

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