Choosing to Trust Again

What is it about children and their selective hearing? They conveniently fail to perceive instructions or warnings they don’t like. But if a parent for some reason does not follow through with something he said he might do, there is a predictable mantra shouted:

“But you promised!”

And it’s that word “promised” that carries the punch. They never say, “You mentioned . . .” or “suggested” or “implied.” They use the most powerful word they know, making it synonymous with a vow, a pledge, a commitment, or a blood oath. It’s all to impose guilt on the parent, of course, as if he is committing a mortal sin (and perhaps he is) by not fulfilling what the child expected. And yet we adults are not much different in how we use that word.

Trust Issues

A promise is the assurance given that something is going to happen. And as we get older, it’s typical for us to become cynical about any kind of verbal guarantee. When broken promises become more common than those that are fulfilled in our lives, we lower our expectations. Words become more meaningless. Written contracts become more necessary. Promises made in relationships, politics, and religion become more doubtful.

And we eventually scoff and sneer at the idea that any person can be counted on to keep a promise. The crux of the issue is always the question surrounding the character and reliability of that “person” making the promise. Is there anyone who is worthy of such trust?

A serious Jesus follower cannot follow this cynical path. Our faith is built on promises. At the core, we have to learn to trust, which is another way of talking about faith. And with this present generation openly admitting they have a lot of trust issues, it’s no surprise that faith is so difficult for even those who say they want to have a relationship with God.

But, I’ve waited long enough!

Going all the way back to the Old Testament story of Abraham, trust is the central issue. And trust back then was tested through the giving of promises. We’re told that God chose Abraham (when he was still called Abram), and without any initial qualifications announced that He was going to make Abraham a “great nation” (Genesis 12:2) and give his offspring a certain piece of land and make his offspring as the dust of the earth, uncountable. Of course, the problem was that Abraham’s wife was unable to have children. But the promises continued: “Your very own son shall be your heir” (Genesis 15:4 ESV).

Years passed with no fulfillment. Abraham even tried to help the Divine Promise Giver. But God made it clear that a son would come from his wife, not a concubine. In the end, the promise was kept. At the age of 100, with his wife 90 years old, Abraham was given a son, Isaac.

The question I cannot help asking: why did it take so long?

And yet the long wait provides a clue to why God began with a promise in the first place. He seems to highly value TRUST! Waiting for a promise to be fulfilled provides an environment for trust to solidify. There are many other stories in the Bible of how God uses the waiting period for a promise to be fulfilled as a time of shaping a person. King David is another example. The time between when he was anointed king of Israel to when he was actually crowned was many painful and doubt-filled years. Yet David learned to trust that the timing was in God’s hands, refusing to make things happen himself.

Enduring Faith

Jesus supported this understanding of faith and promises with his teaching. There is the parable of the widow who goes to a corrupt judge seeking him to act on her behalf. The man contemptuously ignores her. But her continuous pestering finally wears him down, and she receives what she has long sought. Her pestering is equated with faith – she didn’t give up. And Jesus ends this particular parable with the question, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8 ESV).

It seems that promises given by God, and our holding on to them, have the potential of shaping something unbelievably valuable inside us – endurance and trust. Do we value these qualities in the same way God does?

Many promises have been made to us: the promise of forgiveness; the promise of salvation and redemption; the promise of future resurrection; the promise of sharing in the glory of King Jesus Himself! And it goes on and on. But the ultimate vow that has and continues to require our enduring trust is the promise that Jesus will return. Two-thousand years is a long time to wait. But there’s something He is seeking to shape in His waiting children.

Will He find faith on the earth among those He has redeemed when He returns? That’s on us.

Follow His promises

Cynicism does not work in God’s Kingdom. We have to let it go. We need to learn from the children around us who expect promises to be kept. They are often closer to what God expects from all of us. And we need to examine our own hearts as to why we distrust God’s character regarding the promises He has made.

With God, it’s not a matter of IF but WHEN. Trust Him. Shape your life according to His promises.

All followers of Jesus are now children of Abraham after all.

So don’t give up!

Response:

• What’s my attitude toward promises given in the Bible?
• What has affected my view of God’s trustworthiness? How open am I to letting my heart be changed?
• What promises am I still waiting to be fulfilled? What do I need to not give up?
• Jesus, show me the path of enduring faith.

(Edited and reposted from June 17, 2024 “Choosing to Follow His Promises”)