There are certain songs that get me every single time.
Faithfully by TobyMac is one of them.
I can be perfectly fine, hear that song, and suddenly I’m fighting back tears. I think it’s because it takes me back to some of the hardest seasons of my life—and reminds me just how faithful God has been.
We say that a lot as Christians: God is faithful.
But what does it actually mean that God is faithful? And what does His faithfulness look like when you’re walking through something hard, uncertain, or completely unexpected?
I’ve learned that God’s faithfulness doesn’t mean everything will happen the way we want it to. It means God is who He says He is. He keeps His promises, and He doesn’t leave us.
What does it mean that God is faithful?
Deuteronomy 7:9 says:
“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”
Faithfulness isn’t simply something God does. It’s part of who He is.
People can disappoint us, circumstances change, and sometimes our plans completely fall apart. But none of that changes who God is.
Hebrews 10:23 tells us:
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
I love that the reason we can hold onto hope isn’t because we know how everything is going to turn out. We can hold onto hope because we know the One who made the promise.
And He is faithful.
There’s something comforting about that, isn’t there? Especially when so much of life feels completely outside of our control.
What does God’s faithfulness look like in real life?
Sometimes God’s faithfulness is easy to see. Other times, it may look very different from what we expected.
I’ve experienced both.
When I went through a divorce in my early twenties, I was left with a huge house payment. I worked a full-time job and a part-time job just to make ends meet.
Month after month, God provided. Most of the time, that provision looked pretty ordinary. He gave me the physical strength to keep working, and somehow there was enough to make that house payment.
But there was one month when an unexpected bill left me short.
And then a check showed up in the mail.
It was exactly what I needed to cover my bills that month.
God also provided for me emotionally. He placed mentors in my life who listened when I needed to talk and who would simply sit with me when I needed someone there.
God didn’t keep me from experiencing heartbreak. He didn’t make everything better overnight. But He walked with me through it.
Lamentations 3:22–23 says:
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Of course, God’s faithfulness may look completely different in your life.
His faithfulness might look like having the strength to make it through a really hard day or a friend calling when you desperately need someone to talk to. Sometimes it’s provision you never saw coming. And sometimes your circumstances don’t change at all, but He gives you the peace you need to keep going.
Sometimes God’s faithfulness changes our circumstances. Other times, He gives us what we need to walk through them.
And I think sometimes we miss that second kind because we’re so busy looking for God to change what’s happening.
God is faithful in the unexpected, too
God’s faithfulness isn’t something we only experience when life is falling apart. We can see it when life simply turns out differently than we’d planned.
My husband and I had never planned on having children. Then, after eight years of marriage, God had other plans—and our surprise son was born.
Becoming a mom was a lot for me to wrap my head around, both before he was born and afterward. And all these years later, God continues to help me mother him.
I’ve had plenty of moments when I wasn’t sure what to do, but God has continued to meet me there.
Maybe you’re in an unexpected place right now, too.
Your life may not look the way you thought it would. Maybe you’re facing a responsibility you don’t feel ready for, waiting for an answer you thought you’d have by now, or simply wondering, God, what am I supposed to do with this?
You don’t have to have all the answers today. God isn’t going to lead you somewhere and then leave you there to figure it out alone.
I don’t know about you, but I need that reminder sometimes.
What can you hold onto when life is hard?
There will be times when trusting God comes easily—and times when it doesn’t.
You may worry. You may question what He’s doing. You may trust Him completely one day and struggle with the exact same thing all over again the next.
But your struggle doesn’t change God’s character.
Second Timothy 2:13 says:
“If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”
God’s faithfulness isn’t dependent on how perfectly you trust Him.
That takes some of the pressure off, doesn’t it?
You don’t have to have everything figured out or know what happens next. And you certainly don’t have to pretend you’re not struggling.
You can bring all of that to a God who has promised not to leave you.
Deuteronomy 31:8 says:
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Maybe you’re walking through something right now that you wouldn’t have chosen.
You may not know how it’s going to turn out. You may not understand what God is doing. You may not even be able to see His provision yet.
But you can hold onto what you do know: God keeps His promises, and He will not leave you.
And He will give you what you need along the way.
God’s faithfulness doesn’t mean you’ll never walk through something hard. It means you never have to walk through it without Him.
Need a little More encouragement?
If you’re walking through a hard or uncertain season right now, these might help too:
→ How to Trust God When Everything Feels Out of Control
→ Does God Really Care About Me?
→ Overwhelmed and Unsure? Find Comfort in These Verses About Trusting God