Faithful

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15

God abounds in love and faithfulness. He is gracious and compassionate. We know these attributes are true of Him, because “the Bible tells us so.” But, in our world where we’ve been conditioned to expect microwave-quick (and sometimes that’s too slow for me!), it’s easy to think God’s faithfulness has been delayed. We wait patiently for resolutions that are slow in coming, all while missing the areas in our lives where God has been quietly faithful. This blog, Gathered Chick, is a place where God has shown Himself quietly faithful to me.

When I began writing these weekly Gathered Chick blog posts almost 13 months ago, I was simply being obedient to what I felt God was calling me to do. One day early last year, I was complaining to God about the Christian blogs I regularly visited. "Lord," I said, "all these blogs are written by stay-at-home moms who brag about the cute things their children are doing, or the new house they're getting, or the neat trip they're taking. My life isn't like their lives. I'm just looking for a little encouragement when I visit."

God's answer was gentle but quick - He told me to start writing what I wanted to read. Shocked, I tried to ignore what I thought I'd heard, but it was unmistakable. God was asking me to stop dreaming about writing (something I was often doing) and use my desire and ability to encourage others. I agreed to start blogging and committed to writing one blog a week.

Amazingly, over a year - and 49 posts - has passed. Throughout this time, God has proven Himself more than faithful. As I look back, I see how the Lord has answered many of my prayers for Gathered Chick.

My initial prayers for the blog were, and continue to be, that I would write something worth reading. Hopefully God is answering that prayer. I recognize that my writing abilities aren't extraordinary, but God is always faithful to give me something to share here. Hopefully a Gathered Chick blog entry or two have encouraged you.

My next prayer was that God would send readers to this blog. Gathered Chick was visited by a faithful few at first - mostly relatives and close friends. In the last 15 days, Gathered Chick has been visited 79 times by people all over the world, including Canada, Norway, Great Britain, Cayman Islands and Croatia. Over the last year, we've had readers from 41 out of the 50 United States and visits from 16 other unique countries. I have no idea who these readers are, or why they’ve visited, but God has sent them.

Even though I didn’t pray for it, God knew I needed motivation to keep writing. I tend to give up on anything that doesn't offer instant gratification. Yet, I continue to press on as a member of the blogosphere. My desire to keep writing can only be from God.

I'm not sure what led you here, but God knows why you are reading this post. Just as He has shown Himself faithful through this little blog, God longs to show Himself faithful in your life, too. In the midst of your busy day, take a few moments to ask God to show you where He has been faithful in your life. If you can’t think of anything, ask Him to show you evidence of His unfailing love today. The Lord longs to be gracious to you (Isaiah 30:18).

Lord,
Thank You for being compassionate and gracious to us. Thank you for revealing evidences of your unfailing love and faithfulness to us. Please give us a fresh glimpse of Your work in our lives today. Reveal more of Yourself to us as we watch for You. And help us to remember to thank You when we’ve seen You revealed.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen


How has God been faithful to You lately? Share with us - and tell us where you're located - by clicking on the comments button below. What an encouragement it will be for others to see how God is working in your life!