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We are taking the month to focus on gratitude. Last week we looked at blessings and listened to a beautiful song that really ministers to many hearts. You can read the post here.

This week we will look at an attribute of God we are most grateful for. I know that is a broad subject and we have spent weeks in the past focusing on each one individually.

To refresh your mind on the attributes of God, here are a few to consider:

faithful

merciful

loving

forgiving

gracious

eternal

holy

wise

just

For our time today, I am going to focus on just one of those attributes.

Faithful.

Recently I have been playing this song from Toby Mac on repeat. Many of his songs have been fun or fluffy but this one is a new level of truth that I could relate to. And why is that? Because he suffered loss. I was so surprised the first time I heard the song because it seemed to speak my heart in a new way.

I am so grateful for God’s faithfulness.

When I struggled with my husband’s addiction and eventual death, I felt abandoned by God. I cried and yelled about how unfair life was – how unfair HE was to me. But each time I yelled out, God waited faithfully. He didn’t change.

And when I finally stopped running in no particular direction, my Father was standing there with His arms open wide to hold me.

Just like the song says, I may never be the same person as I was. And I am okay with that. Because I know God better because of the grief I experienced.

The songs and Scripture that God brought to my mind during my darkest grief were found in Lamentations 3. Lamentations comes from the word Lament, which means a passionate expression of grief or sorrow (Google Dictionary). How appropriate that one of my favorite songs and verses came from a book about grief!

Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
the wormwood and the gall!
My soul continually remembers it
and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
Lamentations 3:19-24 (ESV)

Faithfulness.

I am grateful for the faithfulness of the Lord in my life. And I’m thankful the verse doesn’t focus on MY faithfulness to Him! I am a miserable failure most of the time. But He is faithful. And every morning I am greeted by new mercies.

I encourage you to sit for a few moments with your Bible and pray about what attribute you want to thank Him for this week. Of course, we are grateful for all of His attributes, but focusing on one is helpful for me to be more specific in my gratitude.

And take a listen to the song I linked at the beginning. I know you will appreciate God’s faithfulness in your own life as you listen and recall times unique to you.