Faithfulness … by Barbara Pears.
We live in Almanzora village, just outside Albox. Between our village and the town they are constructing the new motorway, which will run from Baza to Vera. Some houses in the path of the new roadway have been requisitioned and demolished, others have finished up so close to the motorway that their owners have lost interest in them. The houses are no longer what they purchased, villas on a quiet road in the heart of the country. For the same reason the villas will not sell, so they have been abandoned and their owners have returned to the UK.
One such villa we pass frequently as we travel to Albox.
It’s gate is literally a few yards from the roadway, and in front of that gate lies a beautiful Springer Spaniel. No matter what time of day we pass by, this lovely animal still lies there. He has been abandoned, like the house, but sadly, he still waits patiently for his owners to return. It just breaks our hearts to see him! He has been waiting there for the last 18 months, being fed by neighbours — waiting and longing for owners who will probably never return. What an example of faithfulness!
It is sad to think that our human faithfulness falls so far short of that of animals, particularly dogs. We not only abandon them but we are capable of abandoning each other. We can forget, neglect, and desert friends, children and spouses, if it suits us, in our own selfish interests. But a dog remains faithful, no matter how we treat him.
How much more this is true of our Father God. The Bible speaks in many places about the faithfulness of God, as in Psalm 117 :
Praise the Lord, all nations!
Praise him, all peoples!
His love for us is strong
And his faithfulness is eternal.
Our God is faithful, no matter how many times we forget, neglect, and desert Him. No matter how deep we sink into sin and selfishness, He still stands by us. We could think that we are walking far away from Him, but He is actually right beside us all the time. When trouble, pain and sorrow attack us, we think that God doesn’t care and is far away, but in reality He is closer to us than ever, just waiting for us to call out to Him, just waiting for His beloved child to reach out to Him, just waiting to put His arms around us and to say,” Don’t worry, I am here. You are safe, because I love you.”
Praise you, Lord, for your unfailing, everlasting faithfulness!
God Bless — Barbara Pears
June 2010