As our aircraft pushed back from its gate, I felt a lump in my throat. Another furlough had ended. Goodbyes never became easier. This time we were going back to the field by ourselves—all five children now out of the home. Where had the years gone? This we knew for sure: God had called us, and He is faithful in every change. It was His faithfulness that had kept Barb and me faithful to Him. Join me as I survey a few of the numberless ways in which the Lord lavished His faithfulness on us and thus kept us joyfully faithful to the task He has given us.

When the path seemed to disappear, the Lord’s faithfulness guided us.

Go back forty-five years. Barb and I boarded a plane with our one-month-old daughter, Naomi, for what we assumed would be a single year of ministry in South Korea. However, that one year stirred in us a growing certainty that the Lord was calling us to full-time ministry there. After our first full term, we returned to the States for furlough, expecting to return and resume ministry quickly. Instead, we encountered visa complications that stretched on for months. “Lord, what now?” became our prayer. During that uncertain time, a hymn anchored my wavering heart. “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” with its roots in Lamentations 3 and James 1, kept reminding me that while doors may close, the Lord Himself never changes.

Great is thy faithfulness, O God, my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with thee.

Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;

As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.

As we waited, another door opened—this time in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada—to help establish a Korean immigrant church. The path had changed, but our Guide had not. Psalm 32:8¹ held fast: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” The Lord’s faithfulness to guide kept us faithful to Him.

When health failed, the Lord’s faithfulness gave grace.

When he was very young, our oldest son, Daniel, experienced sudden episodes of a rapid heartbeat that left him dizzy and at risk. The recommended solution was open-heart surgery—a frightening prospect for a child. We sought counsel, prayed, and waited. When he turned ten, a new, far less invasive treatment emerged, and the Lord used it to heal him. During that season, Psalm 112:7 steadied us: “He will not fear evil tidings: his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” Other trials followed. Barb walked with me through a major surgery overseas; our daughter-in-law Aimee faced a life-threatening disease, and later Josh, her husband (our son), underwent chemotherapy, radiation, and a stem-cell transplant for aggressive leukemia. Each time, the Lord upheld us with His abundant grace. Through every challenge to our health, Scripture and Scripture-filled hymns ministered to our hearts. The Lord’s faithfulness in giving grace kept us faithful to Him.

When dangers lurked, the Lord’s faithfulness protected us.

I will never forget the night our home in Korea was broken into while we slept. Barb stirred first, awakened by a faint noise. Our infant son, Daniel, was only weeks old, and she assumed he needed her. Instead, as she stepped into the hallway, she saw the shadowy outline of a man standing in our living room. She instinctively screamed (though she claimed later she was just trying to awaken me). The intruder fled. The danger passed quickly, but the danger within my own heart lingered. For several days, I wrestled with a spirit of distrust and even revulsion toward the very people God had called us to love. I found myself suspicious of every stranger. My refuge was the Lord and His Word. Psalm 3:5 reminded me, “I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me.” And Psalm 4:8b added, “For You alone, O LORD, have me dwell in safety.” The Word was like a soothing balm. We have been protected from far more dangers than we will ever know. Through each one, the Lord’s faithfulness to provide protection kept us faithful to Him.

When anxiety overwhelmed us, the Lord’s faithfulness gave peace.

I am an expert at worry. My heart can multiply anxious thoughts with remarkable speed—about ministry burdens, health concerns, family needs, and uncertainties on every side. Psalm 94:19 has repeatedly ministered to my heart: “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.” Those consolations came through specific Scriptures (Psalm 55:22, Philippians 4:6–7, 1 Peter 5:7, John 14:27) and through hymns that preached truth back into my soul: “Like a River Glorious,” “He Giveth More Grace,” “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” “Be Still, My Soul,” and “I Must Tell Jesus.” These hymns crowded me back to Christ and lifted my eyes from my fears to His faithfulness. Christ has promised, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). Certainly “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” “Cease striving and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:1, 10). The Lord’s faithfulness to grant peace kept us faithful to Him.

Missionary friends, stay in the Word! Let Scripture and Christ-centered hymns shepherd your heart when trials multiply. Pastors and church members, thank the Lord for His faithfulness to the missionaries you have sent out, and pray that the Word will strengthen them. May His steadfast faithfulness keep us all faithful to Him!