“Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!”
“As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
Written by Mel Young
Steadfast: Steadfast – resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering.
When I first thought steadfast was my word for the year I knew there was more to it than I could currently see. We lost my Papa in the last part of 2021 and I knew with a word like steadfast, that God was preparing me for loss again; to lose my first ever, favorite person. The one who showed up when I was a colicky baby and inconsolable. The one who never missed seeing me get on the bus on the first day of school. The one who always had time for me to go feed some horses carrots or take me shopping. The one who probably never said the word no to me in my entire life. The one who showed up in the same way for my kids with sleepovers and fresh baked cookies before breakfast. The one who showed me what it meant to be steadfast in the lives of those around me in good times and bad.
Eight days into 2022, as I held my grandma’s hand, she left this earth for eternity. I was holding on for dear life to God’s steadfast love, as I let her go. Trusting that His plan was bigger than the pain I felt and that His steadfast love would carry me through. I was deep into studying Psalm 107. Reciting it over and over. Digging deep into a call to worship in every season of life. In what we see as good – but also the desert, the chains, our own folly, and the storms.
Feeling a little like Job with all the loss , I promised God that I would worship Him with every breath I breathed. I would not curse Him or question Him, but I would follow Him no matter what, offering my praise in the midst of struggle. I would remain steadfast in Him through not just what I was facing in my current situations, but for all the days of my life.
In the months following my grandmother’s passing, we made the choice to sell the home we thought we would raise our children in before sending them off into the great big world. We bought and moved into my parent’s home as they moved into my grandparent’s. We grieved the loss of neighbors, while celebrating the joy of living closer to family. We celebrated the first holidays without my grandparents and walked through big things in the lives of our children that we never imagined my grandparents would miss. We were surrounded by a community of people who loved us in deep ways that we never saw coming.
It has been a year of push and pull, but the one thing that has remained constant is God’s steadfast love. He has never left us or forsaken us, but walked with us through it all. He carried me on days when I didn’t know what to do next. He gave me perseverance. He pulled me closer in worship, in fasting, and in prayer. He never left me and gave me plenty of reasons to rejoice. He filled me with gratitude and the ability to find joy in even the most mundane things. He grew me in ways I didn’t know that I needed to grow. He brought me peace that passes all understanding. His Word continues to be faithful and true. His steadfast love endures forever – it remains no matter the season.
Learning to remain steadfast may have come with some hard trials, lessons, and life stuff along the way. But I can only hope that someday when I stand face to face with God that He will say that my faith was unwavering and that the way that I lived out this season was just a launching pad for those around me who walked through this life with me. I pray for each and every one around me that my ceiling is their basement for all that God has in store for them. That we all will remain steadfast, deeply rooted in Him all the days of our lives. That we would know that true success is found in a surrendered life. True success is found in faithful service. True success is found in steadfastness and the knowledge that it is the Lord that enables us to persevere. That we can face anything by clinging to Christ. Our God is patient and steadfast. He is our perfect example of these things that He is calling us to be. And we trust that Jesus will use whatever we are facing for His purposes.
