As the year draws to a close, many stand between gratitude and regret. We thank God for life, provision, and protection, yet we cannot escape the memories of promises we broke, prayers we abandoned, and moments when our faith wavered. The end of the year has a way of telling the truth. It exposes what worked and what failed. It reveals obedience and compromise side by side. And for many, the uncomfortable realisation settles in that God remains faithful even when we are not.

This truth is not meant to condemn us. It is meant to restore hope. Scripture never hides the failures of God’s people. Instead, it magnifies the faithfulness of God in contrast to human weakness.

The apostle Paul wrote plainly, “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13, KJV). That single verse dismantles pride and heals shame at the same time. God’s faithfulness does not depend on our consistency. It flows from His unchanging nature. Throughout the year, many began with strong spiritual intentions. Prayer schedules were written. Bible reading plans were downloaded. Fasting calendars were marked. Yet somewhere along the way, life interrupted devotion. Weariness crept in. Disappointment silenced prayer. Sin dulled spiritual sensitivity. The desire to walk closely with God was replaced with survival mode Christianity.

Still, God did not withdraw His mercy.

The Bible says, “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22–23). Jeremiah wrote these words while standing in the ruins of Jerusalem. The nation had been unfaithful. Judgment had come. Yet even in devastation, the prophet declared God’s faithfulness without hesitation.

Consider Israel in the wilderness. God delivered them from Egypt with signs and wonders. He parted the Red Sea. He drowned their enemies. Yet the same people murmured, doubted, disobeyed, and rebelled repeatedly. Still, God provided manna daily. Water flowed from the rock. Their clothes did not wear out. Their shoes did not decay.

Nehemiah testified, “But thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not” (Nehemiah 9:17, KJV).

That statement is astonishing. Forsookest them not. Not after rebellion. Not after idolatry. Not after ingratitude. God remained present. Many look back on the year with similar contradictions. There were moments of prayerlessness, yet provision never ceased. There were seasons of coldness, yet protection continued. There were times of disobedience, yet God restrained consequences that could have destroyed everything.

The faithfulness of God should never be used to excuse unfaithfulness in us.  Instead, it should lead us to repentance. Paul warns against abusing grace when he writes, “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid” (Romans 6:1–2, KJV). God’s faithfulness is meant to soften hearts, not harden them. David understood this deeply. He was a man after God’s own heart, yet he failed grievously. Adultery. Deception. Murder. His fall was public and devastating. Yet when confronted, David did not argue his case. He appealed to God’s mercy. “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1, KJV).

David knew what many forget. Our hope is not in our track record but in God’s character.

As the year ends, some are tempted to make bold spiritual promises for the new year. Others are afraid to promise anything at all, haunted by past inconsistency. Both approaches miss the heart of the gospel. God is not looking for confident vows or fearful silence. He desires honest surrender. Scripture reminds us, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, KJV). Boldness here is not arrogance. It is confidence in God’s faithfulness, not our performance. The danger at the turn of the year is subtle. Some believers measure God’s faithfulness by how well the year went. If prayers were answered, God is faithful. If struggles persisted, doubt creeps in. But Scripture teaches the opposite. God’s faithfulness is not seasonal. It is eternal.

“The LORD is faithful in all his words, and holy in all his works” (Psalm 145:13, KJV).

That means He was faithful on your best spiritual days and on your weakest ones. He was faithful when you prayed fervently and when you struggled to pray at all. He was faithful when faith was strong and when doubts whispered loudly. The proper response to God’s faithfulness is renewed devotion. Not out of fear, but gratitude. Not to earn favor, but because favor has already been shown.

Paul urged the Corinthian church, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58, KJV). Steadfastness grows best in soil watered by grace. As you step into a new year, carry this truth carefully. God did not keep you because you were strong. He kept you because He is faithful. That truth removes pride and heals despair simultaneously.

If the year exposed your weaknesses, thank God. Exposure precedes healing. If it revealed inconsistency, thank God. Conviction is evidence of love. If it reminded you of God’s patience, thank God most of all.

“The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17, KJV).

He rejoices over imperfect people who depend on a perfect God.

End the year not with self-condemnation, but repentance. Not with excuses, but surrender. Not with fear of failing again, but confidence in a faithful God who never fails.