Psalm 138:8 “The LORD will work out His plans for my life – for Your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for You made me.”
Do you ever feel like your spiritual life is not making progress? It can happen when we get discouraged, exhausted, and overwhelmed. You’re not alone if you’ve felt that way before or you feel that way now.
When I feel that way, I’m reminded of this promise in Psalm 138. It’s one King David wrote when he reflected on his own life and the promise God had given him when he was just a shepherd boy tending to his father’s flocks. In seasons of doubt and discouragement, he must have reminded himself of God’s faithfulness and power to accomplish his purpose despite the opposition and impossibilities.
I love the way The Message paraphrases that first part:
“Finish what you started in me, GOD. Your love is eternal – don’t quit on me now.”
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul picked up on that same promise by adding these words:
Philippians 1:6 “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
God began a good work in you when He created you and when He saved you. So if you’re not dead, God isn’t done! The writer of Hebrews wrote that God is the author and finisher of our faith in Hebrews 12:2. He says we only need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus to cross that finish line one day! This gives me hope and confidence that even though God is not finished yet, He hasn’t given up on me. And He hasn’t given up on you either!
If spiritual growth were solely up to us, we would be in trouble. The Bible tells us that the very God who began His good work within us is the same God who will continue that work until it is finished on the day when Jesus Christ returns! That takes the pressure off.
There’s joy in knowing that spiritual growth is His business. He does the work in us that He may do a work through us. It’s a process that will continue until it is finished on the day Christ Jesus returns.
That reminds me of a bumper sticker I have seen which says, “Please be patient with me, God is not through with me yet!” We are all under construction as God shapes us into the very image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And God promises to finish the work He began.
When you feel incomplete, undone, or distressed by your hurts, habits, and hang-ups, remember God’s promise in Psalm 138:8. Even when I feel like I am not making any progress, God is still at work. Let God complete what He began and rejoice that it is His business. His faithful love endures forever! He will never abandon the work He began in you!
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 “Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful.”