Faithful Forever

“I promise to be faithful to you, as long as we both shall live.

As those words fall from the smiling husband’s voice, those tender words fill the heart of the bride.  She has been dreaming of this moment for so long!  And as the beautiful bride shares those words with her new husband, he gains so much happiness and confidence!  How awesome it is, to promise to be faithful as long as you keep breathing.

Every marriage has moments where brides and grooms keep their promises to one another.  There are encouraging words, loving priorities, and plenty of listening.  But there is no perfect marriage.  Every marriage also has moments where brides and grooms break their promises to one another.  There are hurtful words, and selfish priorities.  Frustration is fueled, not doused.  Many times the conflict caused by those broken promises is resolved through apologies and a renewal of promises to be faithful.  And yet, in spite of mankind’s best intentions, over fifty percent of marriages in our country end in divorce. 

Thankfully, God is not like us.  Simply put, he never, ever, breaks a promise.  God never needs to apologize, because he never does anything wrong.  God never has selfish priorities, and he never fuels our frustrations.  He’s always faithful.  He’s incredibly strong.  And he is glad to use his faithful strength to protect us from Satan.  Listen to this Scripture verse from God’s own heart.  “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one (2 Thessalonians 3:3).”

Yes, the devil – in this verse, he’s referred to as “the evil one” – is real.  Yes, the devil wants to destroy you with his lies.  Yes, the devil will tempt you to sin and succeed sometimes.  But guess what?  That will never cause the Lord to stop being faithful to you.  The Lord will be faithful to you, as long as you both shall live.  And that means he is faithful forever!
 

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, you suffered the temptation of Satan in our place and defeated him on our behalf.  You have given us the power to rise above the temptations of the evil one.  In our daily struggle against the spiritual forces of darkness, and in our inner battle with our own sinful natures, shield us with your divine protection.  Strengthen us with your faithful grace.  Give us everything we need to stand firm in times of temptation, and finally overcome and obtain the victory.  It’s in your holy name that I pray.  Amen.