Faithfulness Is God’s Nature, Not His Negotiation
By Sherita Jones | The Anointing Grace
God’s faithfulness has nothing to do with our situation.
We often say “God is faithful” when He makes a way, when doors open, prayers are answered, and things finally work out. His faithfulness is affirmed almost instinctively when the outcome aligns with what we hoped for.
But what about when it doesn’t?
What about when God doesn’t answer the way we believe He should? Is He still faithful then? The answer is yes. Because faithful is not something God does. Faithful is who He is.
And who He is does not change based on outcomes.
When Things Didn’t Go My Way
I recently walked through a custody battle where nothing went in my favor. The judge ruled against me repeatedly. At the final hearing, I was told I could only keep my children if I forfeited $3,000 in monthly child support and forgave over $145,000 in arrears, at the same time that I’m having a Financial crisis.
There was no hesitation in my heart. I would give up every dollar without question. My children are infinitely more valuable than money.
Still, the process itself was unjust. The rulings were unjust. The non-custodial parent was unjust, and God did not intervene the way I thought He would.
That’s a hard truth to sit with, especially in Christian spaces where faith is often measured by visible victories. But honesty before God matters more than curated testimonies.
Even so, God was faithful. Not because the rulings were fair. Not because justice prevailed. But because He never left me.
Faithfulness Is Ontological, Not Transactional
God’s faithfulness is ontological, not transactional. It is who He is, not what He produces. Scripture never defines God as faithful because outcomes align, but because He cannot deny Himself.
“if we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13 KJV
Even when outcomes ache. Even when courts rule unjustly. Even when prayers are not answered the way we hoped. God remains faithful to His nature, not our expectations.
This truth quietly dismantles a deeply ingrained belief in the Church:
“If I believe correctly, God will act accordingly.”
That isn’t faith. That’s control dressed in Scripture.
When Faith Is Tied to Results, Self-Blame Follows
We’ve been taught, sometimes indirectly, sometimes directly, that if God doesn’t move the way we prayed, fasted, declared, or believed, then we lacked faith, we missed a principle, we opened a door, we didn’t war hard enough, or it’s not Gods timing.
So the flesh begins searching for fault. We examine ourselves endlessly, convinced that if we can find the error, we can repent so the outcome can change.
But Scripture says:
“The just shall live by faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4)
Not by results. Not by rulings. Not by visible wins.
Faith is not validated by victory in courtrooms, finances, or custody decisions. Faith is validated by continued trust when God does not intervene the way we expected Him to.
That is not weak faith. That is mature, costly faith.
God’s Glory Rarely Feels Comfortable
Maybe this is what God allowed for His glory. That statement unsettles us because we’ve been taught to associate God’s glory with comfort, success, and relief. But biblically, God’s glory often shows up where things feel most uncomfortable, and where outcomes do not go our way.
Joseph wasn’t glorified when he had dreams, but when he survived betrayal, prison, and silence. Jesus wasn’t glorified in Gethsemane, but in surrender. Paul wasn’t glorified by release, but by sustaining grace in the thorn.
God’s glory is not always displayed as escape or a favorable outcome for us. Sometimes it is revealed as preservation. Him keeping you, preserving you.
“It’s Impossible for Me to Still Be Here”
I’ve said this countless times, and I mean it deeply:
It’s impossible for me to still be here, in my right mind, had it not been for God.
That is not a small thing. That is not consolation language. That is miracle-level mercy. I wasn’t sustained by outcomes. I was sustained by mercy, generosity, and grace sufficient for daily living.
This is the faithfulness of God, not that He fixed everything, but that He held me together while nothing was fixed. That is not lesser faithfulness. That is covenantal faithfulness.
When God Allows Unjust Systems to Remain
I’ve said something that may unsettle shallow theology, but I believe it aligns with Scripture:
I’m convinced because of my faith, my case went in the order that it did.
There are moments when God allows unjust systems to remain unjust, not because He is absent, but because He is doing something deeper than immediate vindication. Our faith must be tested.
Jesus Himself stood before unjust judges. Silence did not mean absence. Loss did not mean abandonment. God did not fail me in that courtroom. He met me there.
The Truest Confession
This may be the truest thing I can say:
God is still faithful because that’s who He is, not what He does.
That single truth dismantles prosperity theology, performance based faith, self-blame spirituality, outcome driven trust. It anchors faith where it belongs, in the unchanging nature of God.
My Final Truth That I’m Learning to Sit With.
God’s faithfulness does not mean:
“Everything will work out the way I hoped.”
It means:
“Even when everything collapses, God will not.”
And I am living proof of that.
I didn’t lose faith. I outgrew a version of it, and that kind of faith, the kind that stays when nothing goes your way, is precious to God.
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