"– he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations –" (v. 9)

For Reading and Meditation:     Deuteronomy 7:7-20

We move on now to consider another aspect of God's character - His abiding faithfulness. God is utterly trustworthy in all He says and does, and this is the rock-bottom reality on which everything in the universe depends. In an age when so much unfaithfulness abounds, how good it is to realize that we have One who will never let us down, never have to apologise for failing us, and never go back on His Word. Am I speaking to someone who has just discovered unfaithfulness in a marriage partner, or experienced the break-up of a relationship because a person you trusted did not keep their word? It's a sad moment when we get a revelation of the inconsistency of the human heart. But we need to look into our own hearts also, for none of us can claim complete immunity to the sin of unfaithfulness. We may not have broken a contract or violated the marriage covenant but we have been unfaithful to Christ in other ways - to the light and privileges which God has entrusted to us, perhaps. How refreshing it is, then, to read today's text and focus our gaze on the One who is faithful at all times and in all things. We may let Him down but He will never let us down. A chorus I learned as a young Christian comes back to me time and time again when I am tempted to doubt the faithfulness of God: He cannot fail for He is God, He cannot fail, He pledged His Word, He cannot fail, He'll see you through, He cannot fail, He'll answer you.

Gracious and loving God, what inspiration it brings to my soul to realize that of all the things You can do, the one thing You can't do is fail. May the reality of this be the pavement on which I tread this day and every day. In Jesus' Name. Amen.