Do you trust God?
Many of the questions we receive at GotQuestions.org ultimately revolve around the issue of trusting what God says in His Word. Many questioners know what the Bible says on an issue, but they find it difficult to believe it, trust it, or rely on it. Or, they reject it and are trying to explain it away.
God’s Word says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5), yet we often receive questions from people who claim they were abandoned by God.
God’s Word says that nothing can snatch us out of God’s hand (John 10:28-29), yet many people constantly struggle with the fear of their salvation being lost.
God’s Word says that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13), yet people blame God when they fail to overcome temptation.
God’s Word says that all things work together for good to those who love God (Romans 8:28), yet people are often extremely short-sighted when they go through difficulties, trials, and struggles.
I could go on and on, but the point is this: God’s Word is trustworthy. It may sometimes be difficult to trust. It may sometimes seem like God’s Word has failed. God’s promises often take much longer to be fulfilled than we’d prefer. But, God’s Word never fails (Deuteronomy 7:9; Matthew 24:35; John 17:17).
If there was ever a person who would have been justified in failing to trust God’s Word, it would have been Abraham. God promised Abraham that he would have descendants as numerous as the stars (Genesis 26:4). Yet, from the time God made this promise, to the day that Isaac was born, it took 25 years (Genesis 12:4; 21:5) — and Abraham was already 75 years old when the promise was made (Hebrews 11:12).
Other than the “Ishmael incident” in Genesis 16 (which was Sarah’s idea, not Abraham’s), the Bible does not record Abraham ever losing trust in God’s plan. Abraham’s faith in God’s Word was unwavering. He surely struggled with how long it took God to fulfill His promise. But, Abraham never doubted that God would do exactly what He said He would do.
God’s Word never fails. It is absolutely trustworthy. God will never fail to do exactly what He has promised.
The next time you are tempted to doubt God’s Word, picture Abraham, lying in a field on a clear night, counting stars.
S. Michael Houdmann
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Do you trust God?