God’s Great Faithfulness in the Midst of Trials and Storms

By Jim Biscardi, Jr.

It’s important for us Christians to know that whatever befalls us, God is always working things together for our good and His glory. God is faithful – no matter what! “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19). That does not mean, however, that Christians won’t go through hard times. But it does mean that “He who is in us is greater than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4).

“In all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

God is faithful in our trials and temptations. The Apostle Paul said, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

God is faithful in persecutions and difficulties that come from others. The Apostle Paul also said, “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings – what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2Timothy 3:10-12)

God is faithful in our fear and uncertainty. The psalmist said, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. Surely, He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid…” (Psalm 91:1-5).

God uses all our circumstances to shape us into the image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Lord has been faithful to me in so many ways.  Here is one time that really stands out…

Before being saved, I always had a problem with loneliness. The worst thing about my tour in Vietnam wasn’t the mortar rounds that hit our base during the 1968 TET offensive, but rather being away from my wife and kids. One day years later, after I had been a Christian for a short time, my wife and kids left for a three-week vacation back home in Newark, NJ. I was left alone in Herndon, Virginia. So, I filled my days with the Lord.  Truly, Jesus became everything to me.

Every spare moment outside of my workplace was used to listen to Christian music on a reel to reel tape player with my earphones on, or to read the Word of God, or pray. One day I was lying on my bed, with my hands outstretched and eyes opened, praying to our Lord.  In those days, I always tried to impress God with my prayers – make them sound very flowery, using a lot of “thee” and “thou” and creating word pictures using streams, birds, mountains, and valleys. Now there would have been nothing wrong with that except that my motives were not pure – I wanted to impress God.

As I prayed, I was surprised to see a small white cloud forming in the hallway just outside my bedroom. The cloud was moving slowly towards me. As it moved to a position just over me, my heart was pounding wildly; and my prayers were becoming much shorter and louder.  As the cloud began moving downward upon me, I closed my eyes and began shouting “to-the-point” prayers – like “Save my Dad and Mom!” – “Save my family!” – “Use me Lord!”  I don’t know how long that lasted, but after a while, my heart became normal again and I opened my eyes.

The cloud was gone, and so was my loneliness and any attempt to impress the Lord. I found out later that clouds were frequently the vehicle in which heavenly visits were paid to this planet by God. (Psalm 104:3, Isaiah 19: 1, Daniel 7:13, Matthew 17:5) My life after that experience began to be more honest and open in my relationship with God and others. Holiness meant so much more to me.

During the same three-week period, I went to visit some friends who lived about 40 miles away. On the way back, I was singing to the Lord while speeding down the highway. Five small clouds in the sky caught my eye. “How strange having five small clouds in a row like that”, I thought. As I kept singing and running my eyes back and forth between those clouds, I realized that the clouds were actually letters standing next to each other. They spelled as clear as if they were written on a blackboard: J E S U S. At first, I looked to see if any other cars were stopping to stare at the clouds, then I just sang even louder with more joy in my heart as I proceeded home.

I realized by both of these events how great God’s faithfulness is, how intimate Jesus really wants to be with us – that this is a real personal relationship with a Lord who wants to touch our hearts in whatever way He can.  I also realized that He would always be faithful and be there for me in whatever meets me along life’s pathway. (Psalm 46: 1).

Another very special example of God’s faithfulness happened when I wasn’t sure how He wanted me to serve Him with my life. I was flying back to Germany, where I was working with the military. Just before the plane took off, a missionary to the troops, Rev Duane Duck, boarded the plane and sat next to me. We shared our testimonies and prayed together during the seven-hour flight.

A short while later, a sailor, who had been at Rev Duck’s  crusade meeting, called me and told me that Rev Duck said I’d be glad to teach a home Bible study for the sailor and his military friends.  Though Rev Duck never asked me, and I wasn’t secure in my knowledge of God’s Word; and was scared that I’d make a fool of myself, I agreed.

. And now it’s been over 45 years that God has used me continuously as a teacher of adults in churches, homes, and in many other venues like Sunday school conventions and New Jersey Christian Ministries events.

God has also shown His faithfulness in taking me through open-heart surgery to fix a faulty valve in my heart. And, after that, through a heart attack. He’s been faithful to me in so many other ways – like taking me and loved ones through this COVID-19 pandemic. All to keep me learning to serve others, to open my heart to Him, and to follow Him.

His faithfulness is found not just in the miraculous and the extraordinary; but is at work in the daily details of our lives. And that has proven true throughout my 49-year walk with Him! GREAT [AND EVERLASTING] IS HIS FAITHFULNESS!

“The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all He has made.” (Psalm 145:13)

As a teacher, author, columnist, and president emeritus of New Jersey Christian Ministries, Jim Biscardi has been “privileged for many years to help Christians grow in their knowledge of Christ.” You can find his books at barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com