It’s very hard to find trustworthy people in our culture. A salesman persuades us to buy their product, but fails to point out the small print. A politician claims to support one cause, while once in office, says he’s opposed to it. A potential employee boasts of his work experience in an interview, but proves incompetent while on the job. Even close friends let us down by neglecting their promises.
God, on the other hand, is entirely trustworthy. He can be trusted, regardless of political gain or the mood of the moment. Unlike selfish humans, His nature is as consistent as His Word.
Let’s look at five reasons why God can be trusted:
- He’s honest.
While man may give into the fleshly temptation to lie for personal benefit, God is not given to breaking His own Ten Commandments. He’s not a liar. In fact, it is impossible for Him to lie.
God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent . . . (Numbers 23:19 a)
Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began . . . (Titus 1:1-2)
- He’s faithful.
To be faithful means to be constant, loyal, steadfast, and reliable. When God makes a promise, He is sure to follow through. Though people may fail to keep their word for many different reasons, God will not allow one word He says to go uncompleted.
. . . Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19b)
Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides. (Psalm 119:90)
“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)
- He’s limitless.
Men have limitations. Their muscles can only get so strong. Their minds can only understand so much. Eventually man will die, leaving behind only a sample of their strength. God’s power, however, is limitless and endures forever. Nothing is too hard for Him.
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”. (Matthew 19:26)
Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. (Jeremiah 32:17)
Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. (Isaiah 59:1)
- He is love.
Those who lie and prove undependable are acting out of selfishness, the complete opposite of love. But God, who is love, operates through that love in everything that He does. I Corinthians 13 is His nature in action, and He proved it with the ultimate example of sacrifice.
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (I John 4:8)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32)
- His is a perfect father.
Though our world is full of imperfect fathers, God is the perfect example of fatherhood. He does no harm to His children, but seeks their well-being at all times. Many may forsake us, including our parents, but our heavenly Father will never leave us. In their absence, He will take care of us. (Psalm 27:10, Hebrews 13:5)
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! (Matthew 7:7-11)
As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. (Psalm 103:13)
Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 5:25-26)
We will come across many frustrating people and contrary circumstances in our lives. People may do us physical harm, or slander our good name. They may plot against us, or at the very least, go back on their word. We may face sickness in our bodies or a shortage in our bank account. We may struggle with depression, fear, or anxiety. We may find ourselves bound by addictions and bad habits. In times like these, we need someone reliable to assist us.
Men boast of many ways – some good and some bad – that can help us. Counseling sessions, loans, medication, and relationships all hold promise of assistance. Some will provide what we need, but some will disappoint us because it was so short-lived. Some may even lead to our demise because of its imperfection.
When we keep our eyes on fallible men and their methods, we can easily get frustrated and disillusioned. That’s why we need Someone who can be trusted, Someone who proves constant and dependable. As we see in the verses above, only one Person can boast of being 100% trustworthy. The God of the universe holds every characteristic worth trusting!
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
(Proverbs 3:5-6)
Christa Madrid 