God won't give up on YOU!

 

There is some great news in the book of Nehemiah! Well, there is great news throughout the scriptures, but as I was reading Nehemiah I was struck by God's faithfulness. He is so faithful to us, even when we do not deserve his faithfulness.

The nation of Israel that returned from exile stood before the Lord for three hours and confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord. They realized God's faithfulness and their weakness.

"Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all the foreigners at they confessed their own sins and the sins of their ancestors. They remained standing in place for three hours while the Book of the Law of the Lord their God was read aloud to them. Then for three hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God. The Levites - Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani -- stood on the stairway of the Levites and cried out to the Lord their God with loud voices." (Nehemiah 9:2-4)

God never gave up on Israel. He never abandon them. In Nehemiah 9, the story of God's faithfulness was repeated for all of Israel. The message was clear: "God never abandon them." Even when they made idols, even when the disobeyed him, even when they committed every kind of evil, God could have abandon them and destroyed them. Instead he sent them manna, he sent water from rocks, and he destroyed their enemies. When Babylon defeated Israel, they could have been wiped out, but their punishment was exile, knowing they would eventually return. God has always been faithful to the nation of Israel.

He has also always been faithful to us, the adopted family of Israel. 

I praise God for his faithfulness when I still wallow in my sin, when I want to go my own way; he patiently waits for me to return and like the father of the prodigal son, he ALWAYS welcomes me with open arms. I am forever blessed by the great faithfulness of God. He never gives up on us!

"The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline." (Lamentations 3:22-27)