“Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” —Hebrews 10:23 BSB
The first time our family endured a season of financial strain, I clung to the promise in Philippians 4:19 that God would supply all our needs. Despite my doubt and anxiety, He was faithful. That winter, we received packages in the mail from generous strangers, brimming with winter clothing and food. We unexpectedly received a refund for a large bill, and a bank error resulted in a surplus sufficient to cover the cost of an urgent need.
God’s faithfulness during that season bolstered my faith the next time we faced financial difficulties. Whenever we wonder where provision will come from, I know it will come, even if I don’t know how, because I know God keeps His promises.
Faith that has been tested is faith that can be trusted.
Throughout the Bible, God made promises and then proved His faithfulness by keeping them. The birth of Jesus Christ fulfills many promises God made centuries earlier. For example, Isaiah foretold the virgin birth of a son called Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14), and Micah declared that the ruler of Israel would come from the land of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). King Herod’s killing of the baby boys in Bethlehem after Jesus’s birth fulfilled a prophecy from Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:15).
After narrating the events leading up to and including Jesus’ birth, Matthew stated, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet” (Matthew 1:22)
God often works in ways we don’t expect, and His timeline rarely meets our desired deadlines, but He fulfills His promises. He is faithful, even when we are faithless (2 Timothy 2:13).
Christmas reminds us of God’s faithfulness to do what He said He’d do. As we reflect on the details of Christ’s birth, we see that God is trustworthy because He keeps His promises. Because He fulfilled so many seemingly impossible promises through Jesus, we can trust Him to keep His other promises, too.
God has promised to forgive us when we confess our sins (1 John 1:9), guard our minds with peace when we bring our requests to Him (Philippians 4:7), and generously give us wisdom when we ask Him for it in faith (James 1:5). These are only a few of the many promises we can count on.
Reflect on a time God has been faithful to you and allow that memory to strengthen your trust in His promises for today.
Christmas celebrates the faithfulness of God, who always keeps His promises.
Additional Scripture:
Matthew 1:18–25
John 1:14
Hebrews 10:23
Romans 8:32
