Not One Word Failed

At the dedication of the temple, Solomon blessed the people and said, "there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant."

He was not making it up on the spot. He was echoing something said centuries earlier. Near the end of his life, Joshua told Israel, "not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you." Between those two men lay the time of the judges, the reign of Saul, and the wars of David. The book of Judges records that whole messy period without flattering anybody. So when Solomon says not one word failed, he is speaking about God's side of the agreement. The books of Kings go on to record Solomon's kingdom splitting soon after his death, and this same temple being burned. Nothing here promises that our side always holds.

That is why one well-loved hymn on this subject is worth a second look. Thomas Chisholm, who wrote the words of "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," wrote late in life that his income had never been large, because poor health had followed him for years. In the same letter he gave thanks for the unfailing faithfulness of God, who had cared for him all along. He had nothing spectacular to report, and that was his report.

That is the honest shape of faithfulness, and it matters more than a more exciting testimony would. God said He would bring His people out of Egypt, give them the land, and give them rest. Every one of those promises came true. Some took centuries, and none of them came early.

Slow is not the same as failed. Knowing that difference is what separates a patient believer from a disappointed one. It is easy to say, and it takes years to learn. You can begin learning it today, because the God who kept every word He gave Israel is keeping His word to you.

Daily Manna runs on a two-year cycle. The year two reading for day 334 is How Then Can I (Genesis 39:9).

All 365 readings in Daily Manna