God Is Faithful…To Me!

By: Alaina Mankin

This year, Northside Women are reading through the Bible together. If you’ve been reading along with us on our chronological journey, you’ve encountered numerous stories of God’s faithfulness to His people. His mercy to Adam and Eve, His covenant with Abraham, His constant presence with the Israelites during their 40 years in the wilderness, and so many others in between—God doesn’t give up on His people! He consistently seeks to draw near to sinful man, no matter what it costs Him and in spite of the many times His people fail Him. And that is just as true now as it was then. 

I’ve never heard God’s voice from a burning bush or a pillar of cloud, but there have been times when His voice is loud in my heart. The first time I felt this undeniable tug was when He called me to put my trust in Jesus my 8th grade year. I realized in that moment as I sat anxiously in a church pew that I’d never felt the Holy Spirit tugging on my heart before, even though I’d been fully immersed in ‘90s Christian culture for the past several years. I had the W.W.J.D. bracelet on my wrist, Jars of Clay on the radio, and a healthy collection of Adventures in Odyssey  on cassette tapes. But all of that culture was like putting a new outfit on a body that hasn’t showered. Like the Pharisees, I had been making a show of righteousness. I’m so grateful God didn’t leave me there! Instead, He knocked on the door of my heart until I answered.

As I began to forge a genuine relationship with Jesus, I could feel God working in my life through gentle nudges: a disquiet in my soul when I’m not where I should be or living in the way God saved me to live; a pull on my heart to help someone who’s struggling or who needs to hear about God’s love for them. But there have been a few times in my life when God’s voice is startling. During a long period of prayerlessness when I was juggling the responsibilities of “momming” three boys under the age of 10, there was a Saturday morning when God shouted through my distracted thoughts. Prayer had become something either choked out of me in moments of desperation, or whispered as an afterthought. It had been a long time since there was any intentionality behind my prayers. Life was moving too quickly for that. I woke up with my toddler’s first cries, hurried through the tasks of the day, and was asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow at night. But that Saturday, as I was thinking through the frustrations I was having with my children, a thought popped in my head: “If you don’t start taking prayer seriously, things are going to go sideways.” It wasn’t a threat. It was a statement of fact. In that moment, I began to get a sense of the spiritual forces gathering around me and my family, and I realized I wasn’t doing my part to protect them. From that morning on, I made sure prayer was just as much a priority in my day as cooking breakfast and doing laundry. The time was there, but I needed to be intentional. As a parent, so many things are outside of my control. I’m so grateful God grabbed my attention that morning so that I could place my burdens in His more capable hands. 

Sometimes in Scripture, God commands His people to stay; but, more often, we read about God telling His people to MOVE. Several years ago, I was part of a mom’s group that was everything I thought I wanted. The moms were fun, the kids were chaotic, and they filled our calendar with playdates, birthday parities, and playground meet-ups. It felt good to be part of a group. The caveat was I was the only Christian, but I thought, “Hey, it’s a mission field.” I had the opportunity to share my faith more often than I ever had before. But as much as I enjoyed being part of the group, I never left our meet-ups feeling refreshed. I felt burdened and unsettled in my spirit. Eventually, just like God had called my attention to the seriousness of prayer years before, He drew my attention to the seriousness of who I was allowing into the lives of my children. God told me, “You need to get out.” My soul felt heavy and God’s voice was so clear; but, I didn’t want to leave the relationships I had taken so long to forge and start over.

 Even though I knew the command to “Leave” came from God, it didn’t mean it was easy. Leaving behind established friendships and forging new ones is a slow process, and I still don’t feel like I’ve fully replaced the social connections that I lost. God doesn’t promise us an easy road when we choose to follow Him. When God brought the Israelites into the Promised Land, God could have easily made the Canaanites disappear. Poof. It would have been easy and much less messy. But instead, He told His people to “be strong and courageous” (Josh. 1:6). He told them to put on their armor and drive the Canaanites from the land. God would deliver the Israelites, but they had to do their part. In the book of Judges, God explains, “I did this to test Israel—to see whether or not they would follow the ways of the LORD as their ancestors did.” (Judges 2:22, NLT) Sometimes the hard road is to test us, to build our faith, or to prepare us for the future. Sometimes we don’t know the reason, and, as Job learned, God doesn’t owe us an explanation. But whether we know the reason or not, we can trust in this: “I [God] declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: my plan will take place, and I will do all my will.” (Is. 46:10) 

Let God be the author of your story. He alone can guide you through those messy middle parts into His perfect end.