Carol Cymbala’s ministry in a tough inner-city neighborhood in New York can be summed up in one word: unlikely. She is the director and songwriter for a Grammy Award-winning choir—yet she doesn’t read music. She is the pastor’s wife in a 6,000-member congregation filled with people of color—and she is white. A shy girl who struggled to get through school, she is the last person you’d expect to stand before a packed house at Radio City Music Hall, confidently directing The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. But Carol’s God is the God of the unlikely. He’s Been Faithful tells the story of the way God works despite—or maybe because of—our many inadequacies. Because of how God has worked in her own life and in The Brooklyn Tabernacle and its world-famous choir, she knows how crucial it is to remember our desperate need for God. But Carol’s faith hasn’t always come easily. There have been times of wavering and challenge, like the time a man walked down the aisle of the church pointing a gun at her husband, Jim. Or like the time she was assaulted outside the church. Or like the time she wanted to pack up her children and run away from the city for good because of what was happening to her family. He’s Been Faithful is an honest story about the struggles we all face and the power of God to help us. It is told through Carol’s eyes as well as through the eyes of various members of The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir who have experienced the grace of Christ in remarkable ways. Through them, we learn that our longings for God will never be satisfied by worship that is showy or performance-based. Instead, God we will meet us when we come to him simply, seeking his glory rather than ours, telling him and the world around us about the great things he has done. Whether you are a pastor, a choir director, or someone who is seeking a deeper experience of God, He’s Been Faithful will renew your faith and increase your understanding that only Jesus can fill that deep, deep longing we all have for something more in life.
