Can I Trust God?

Lamentations 3:19–23
Sunday, August 16, 2020
Pastor Randy Smith

The four “un” words that have marked these past five months: unprecedented, unchartered, uncertainty and unfaithfulness. What and whom can we trust? The data? The science? The healthcare experts? The school system? The politicians? There is no consistency – day-to-day, person-to-person. No one has been proven unequivocally right. No one has been entirely faithful.

Perhaps God is doing something here. Perhaps God is showing us that only He alone can be ultimately and always trusted. This morning we will take a look at the faithfulness of God.

Let’s first begin with some testimonies of God’s faithfulness.

The Israelites were given a task of gigantic proportions. The offer was exciting but to the naked eye, impossible, moreover, suicidal. You see, God told the Hebrews to cross the Jordan River, displace numerous groups more powerful than they and possess the Promised Land.

Do you remember what the majority of the spies reported after seeing the strength of the people? “The people are bigger and taller than we; the cities are large and fortified to heaven. And besides, we saw the sons of the Anakim there” (Dt. 1:28). They cried, “We became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight” (Num. 13:33). Then the masses “grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, ‘Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness’” (Num. 14:2)!

When all this doubt was swirling among the ranks, Moses, as a good leader, turned people’s attention back to the Lord. The stiff-necked people needed a reminder that if God gave a promise, He would be faithful to bring it to completion.

Please open your Bibles to Deuteronomy 7. Beginning in verse 6 we read, “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face. Therefore, you shall keep the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them” (Dt. 7:6-11).

Notice what Moses said in these six verses. In verse 6 Moses reminds the people that God specifically set the nation apart for His special use. In verses 7 and 8 Moses emphasizes the fact that Israel was chosen not because of her size or intrinsic goodness (cf. Dt. 9:4-6). They were selected simply because God chose to love them as an act of His sovereign grace. So, God can be depended upon, and that trustworthiness was proven (verse 8) in the way He delivered Israel from Egyptian captivity. Therefore, verse 9, “Know…that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness.”

We too are God’s people, and these truths I just read apply to us when we ask those haunting questions. Can I trust God? Will He keep His promises? How can I know He is in control? Why does God allow bad things into my life? What about my unfaithfulness to Him? Why does He seem so distant at times? Will He ever leave me? You will never have peace with God until you have answers for these questions.

We should not be surprised to see God go out of its way to emphasize God’s faithfulness. Jerry Bridges said, “The entire Bible is a treatise on [this] theme. God’s faithfulness appears in precept or illustration on almost every page” (The Practice of Godliness, p. 146).

Let’s consider some selected verses:

Psalm 89:8 — says He is clothed in faithfulness.

Psalm 96:13 — says He judges in faithfulness.

Psalm 119:75 — says He afflicts His children in faithfulness.

Psalm 143:1 — says He responds to prayer in faithfulness.

1 Corinthians 10:13 — says He permits our temptations in faithfulness.

2 Corinthians 1:18 — says He is faithful to His Word.

Isaiah 25:1 — says He is faithful to His plans.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 — says He is faithful to protect us from Satan.

1 John 1:9 — says He is faithful to forgive our sins.

Psalm 145:13 — says He is faithful to fulfill His promises.

Psalm 119:86 — says He is faithful in His commandments.

1 Peter 4:19 — says He is faithful during our suffering.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 — says He is faithful to sanctify us.

1 Corinthians 1:9 — says He is faithful to keep us saved.

And 2 Timothy 2:13 — says He is faithful even when we are not.

Is it any wonder that the prophet Jeremiah, when undergoing great suffering could shout, “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23)?

Considering the biblical record, A.W. Pink said, “He never forgets, never fails, never falters, never forfeits His word. To every declaration of promise or prophecy the Lord has exactly adhered, every engagement of covenant or threatening He will make good.” A.W. Tozer adds, “God, being who He is, cannot cease to be what He is, and being what He is, He cannot act out of character with Himself. He is at once faithful.”

And speaking of faithfulness, How about Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ was prophesized to be “a faithful priest” in 1 Samuel 2:35 (cf. Isa. 11:5; 16:5). Hebrews 2 says He was the “faithful high priest…to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Heb 2:17). Revelation 19 describes His return, calling Him “faithful and true” (Rev. 19:11; cf. Rev. 1:5; 3:14). And Christ was and is and is to be faithful (Rev. 1:4; Heb. 13:8).

Consider the testimony of Joseph. Joseph understood and could attest to God’s faithfulness. Motivated by jealousy, first His brothers wished to murder him, but then they decided to sell him into slavery. Season after season of suffering Joseph endured before God began to reverse the tide. Eventually Joseph, through the providence of God, was promoted to a top officer in Egypt second in command to Pharaoh alone. But while Joseph’s prosperity increased, his brother’s decreased. Famine in the land forced them to Egypt to buy grain. Ironically, they found themselves under Joseph’s control. Would Joseph seek revenge or have mercy on his brothers?

Joseph came to understand God’s faithfulness in the crucible of suffering. Despite the physical and emotional pain that was brought into his life, Joseph could see a God at work beyond his circumstances. As a matter of fact, God’s purpose was filled not in spite of his brothers, but through his brothers. Joseph was able to forgive because he could see beyond their bad actions to a God who is faithful to bring good in the lives of His children. So, as God was faithful to provide for him, Joseph was faithful to provide for them. And while they feared losing their lives, Joseph could say, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Gen. 50:19-20).

In the late seventeen-hundreds a young man by the name of William Cowper witnessed the death of his older siblings and mother before he turned six years old. He was bullied in the schoolyard as an adolescent, something he referred to as “savage treatment.” He frequently battled worry that added to his chronic depression. He attempted to end his life three times.

However, William began to recover which coincided with the beginning of his conversion to Christianity. Despite periods of severe depression and a life marked by suffering, Cowper has become one of our most beloved hymn-writers and living testimony of God’s faithfulness. Like the Psalmists that give us much comfort, his suffering gave him a greater understanding of God’s character.

He wrote:

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs,
And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessing on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan His work in vain:
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

Evelyn stood with the other families of the space shuttle Columbia’s crew at the landing site in Cape Canaveral, Florida, waiting for her spouse, space shuttle commander Rick Husband, to return home. The shuttle was just minutes from landing when NASA's Mission Control lost contact with the crew. To the best of Evelyn’s memories, the next few moments were a blur of events: video images of Columbia breaking apart over the Texas skyline, NASA officials scrambling to move the family members away from view of television cameras. Evelyn remembers looking at the faces of her son, Matthew, and daughter, Laura, then 7 and 12.

Evelyn Husband lost the love of her life, in the national tragedy. But a year later, she shared her message about God’s healing hand. In an article entitled, Finding Purpose in Pain. It was the beginning of Evelyn’s efforts to deliver a powerful message that even in the midst of intense suffering, God is faithful. She said, “Deep inside, I knew God was going to walk me through this somehow. I knew it because He’d walked with me through other crises earlier in my life” (Corrie, Cutrer, Finding Purpose in Pain, Today's Christian Woman, Jan/Feb 2004).

Let’s go to our second point and examine biblical truths regarding God’s character.

You have heard the Bible clearly affirm God’s faithfulness. You have heard several testimonies that affirm God’s faithfulness. But can you in your own life affirm the faithfulness of God? Is this just another doctrine in your quiver of sound theology or do you really believe in your heart that God is faithful?

First and most importantly, God has promised to save human sinners destined for hell. He has devised a plan to save people through the work of Jesus Christ. He has promised that the free gift of salvation is attainable through repentance and faith. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16). God is faithful to that promise and He will not change His mind (1 Sam. 15:29).

Furthermore, God is faithful to keep His children saved. That means they will in no way lose their salvation, as He will enable them to persevere until the end. Paul said in Philippians 1:6, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Our security is not in our own strength or feeble freewill, but in His strength and His will, not (as much about) us holding on to Him but the Good Shepherd holding on to us (Psm. 18:35). The faithful God who cannot lie (Tit. 1:2) promised this.

Additionally, God is faithful to provide for our daily necessities. The Bible says our heavenly Father know our needs (Mt. 6:8, 32). He promises to provide food, drink and clothing (Mt. 6:25). We have His word that all these things will be added to us if we “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Mt. 6:33).

And finally, God is faithful to minister to us during our time of suffering and affliction. Would you not agree, Grace Bible Church that this is often the most difficult time to trust God’s faithfulness? When your world is turned upside-down. When painful circumstances come crashing down upon you. When piles of ashes lie where your most precious treasures used to be. When it appears that God has all but deserted you. When all you’ve got to hold onto is the promise of His Word. Isn’t it during these times we find our faith most tested as we wrestle to trust God’s faithfulness?

Consider God’s faithfulness to His promises: We learn that all things do work together for good (Rom. 8:28). We learn that God will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). We learn that nothing will separate us from the love of Christ (Rom. 8:35). We learn to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). We learn to trust in God’s character and not our circumstances. We learn no detail of our life is outside His loving purpose and sovereign control. We learn His solution far surpasses our most creative imagination. We learn God is often closest when we least feel His presence. We learn Hebrews 10:23 which calls us to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”

Where do you turn when you are tempted, fearful, anxious, discouraged and afflicted? Is it alcohol, worry, fear, television, work, sleep or complaining or is it the true and living God? Do you look to God, lean upon the Rock, Christ Jesus and trust the Holy Spirit, the Messenger of guidance, comfort and instruction? When your faith is put on trial, when Satan wants you and the world is laying snares before you and the flesh begins to doubt and despair – are you during these times trusting in the consistent, unwavering, immovable and unconditional God of great faithfulness?