As I was reading this morning, the word "steadfast" kept coming up, not just in the Word but in my mind. Consistent focus on God seems to bring some amazing results.

In Psalm 57:7 David says, "My heart is steadfast." And the reason is two-fold: (1) because God's love was great and David sensed it "reaching to the heavens"; (2) because God's faithfulness to him "reached to the skies." David appears to be "steadfast" in his relationship with God because he senses that God is "steadfast" with him.

My ah-ha moment came as I realized the importance of creating a "steadfast" environment in my life where I am sensing God's "steadfastness." In this chapter, David describes four ways of accomplishing this:   

1.    He sang and made music.   

2.    He awoke early (morning devotions are not a new concept).   

3.    He shared what he had found with others, praising God among the people.   

4.    He made his commitment to God.          

And so I saw again today that one key to making Christianity work in my life is to focus on God and make my decisions in life based on whether they are assisting or distracting me in that focus. God has promised to be faithful to me. Maybe when it appears that there is a lack in His faithfulness, it's really a lack in my steadfastness in focusing on Him so I can see His faithfulness. My prayer for each of us today is that we find "steadfastness" in focusing on Jesus.     

Rich Carlson is campus chaplain at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. "God is Faithful" is adapted from the email devotionals he writes regularly for the Union College family. Rich enjoys filling his life with God, his family, and especially his five grandchildren.