Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.
Deuteronomy 7:9
Something that is highly important to me is that I present myself as a man of integrity. When I tell someone that I will meet them at 3 pm, then I am there on time or early. If I let a friend know that I will call them back later in the evening then I make my best effort to do so, even if the phone call is short because of time constraints. Believe me, this is even more important to my wife and children!! Without integrity and follow through, I am not a man of my word. I am not steadfast. I am not faithful. Now, the Lord is not a man (1 Samuel 15:29), he is perfect in faithfulness. I am flawed, he is not.
The word of the Lord is right and true, he is faithful in all he does (Psalm 33:4). But to go deeper into knowing him as the faithful God requires an invitation, from us to him, in every part of our lives: our relationships, our family, our finances, our jobs, our decision making. Some of us want to go all in to the deep end, others need to wade slowly out there. Since he is our loving Father, he meets each of us where we are at.
In one instance of my life, I was learning to know his faithfulness in the area of my occupation. I believed that the Lord was calling me into ministry to be a pastor, so I stepped out in faith. Leaving my job as a teacher at a private Christian school, Jesus led me into the public school system. I was greatly confused but willing to follow. Over the next few months, I saw opportunities everywhere to share the gospel. The more I was willing to share, the more opportunity arose. I trusted his faithfulness. However, about the 2nd year of this transition I began to grumble and complain, just like the Israelites. I wondered, “Why I wasn’t in ministry yet?” I had forgotten all that he had done, questioning whether he knew best-questioning his faithfulness. It was during this period that the Word started to become a melody. Worship songs began to develop as I devoted myself to him despite my physical circumstances. It was here that Dunamis Rhema Ministries began to grow roots. Without this place in time I would not have had the ability to mature in areas that were necessary. Just as my heart changed again to trust him in the place he had me, he said, “Resign from your job.”
Yikes! What about income? What about my wife and family? There was no other job waiting for me, I was to resign with no backup plan. After much prayer and communication with my wife, I took the step of faith…again. The Lord used this to share the gospel everywhere. People asked time and time again where I was going and all I could say was, “I am trusting that Jesus is taking me where he wants.” Months passed and nothing, the school year ended and I said my goodbyes. The summer rolled on and my family and I enjoyed some camping trips. Still nothing! One week prior to the school year starting again in August, I wanted to take my children for a final camping trip before they got into their busy routine. Human logic said this was foolish, I should be job hunting. It had been long enough since I had worked and I already turned down multiple jobs that the Holy Spirit said, “No,” to. Yet I believed that God had a new step, I just didn’t know where. My amazing wife reluctantly allowed me to leave, and I went out on the road with my children asking God, “What am I doing?”
Approximately two hours into the drive my phone rang. It was an alternative education program that had heard about me and the superintendent wanted an interview. I knew in my spirit, this was it. I was able to bless my wife before disappearing for three days then returned to the exact location that the Lord had for me. He knew this spot was going to open. He knew it would be the right fit for me, to love on students that needed it most. He also knew that it would be the next step for ministry in my life. First ministry of family, then ministry of occupation, and now ministry of Dunamis Rhema. You see, God is the faithful God. His faithfulness continues through all generations (Psalm 100:5). The question is not, “Will he come through?” The question is, “Are we willing to know him in his faithfulness?”