Trusting in the Promises of God: He is Faithful

Whenever troubles come into our lives, we naturally assume that we are being punished for something we've done wrong. With the help of the devil, our consciences remind us of past sins. We scrutinize our lives and wonder what offended God. This can even lead to blaming God for our problems. Eventually we can end up hating Him.

Perhaps Abraham had similar thoughts when God asked him to sacrifice his son: "Maybe I have become proud because God gave me a son." Perhaps I wasn't thankful as I should have been. Maybe the Lord regrets making his promise to me. It's difficult to silence anxious thoughts like these when we can't understand what God is doing. People can't comprehend how an unchanging God can change his mind. Inevitably, we come to one of two conclusions: either God is a liar, or God has become our enemy. Thinking of God as a liar is blasphemy. Thinking of God as our enemy leads to despair.

Often, serious doubts arise, such as "What if God doesn't want me to be save?" But when our consciences are troubled in this way, we have to continue to believe the promise of salvation- a promise we can trust in and depend on. When we doubt God's promise, we must pray and hang on to it, because if Satan can prevent us from believing it, then we have no where else to turn. God will test us, as he did Abraham. God doesn't test us because he enjoys it. He tests us to find out whether we love him above all things.

Looking Back On Life

We see the hand of God working in our lives no more clearly than when we reflect back on the years of our lives. Augustine said that if people had a choice of either dying or reliving their lives over again, they would certainly choose death because of all the danger and evil they so narrowly escaped. In one sense, this statement is certainly true.

Looking back, people can see how much they have accomplished and suffered without trying or thinking about it, even against their wishes and wills. They gave such little thought to what they were doing before it occured or when it was happening. Now, after everything has been carried out, they are amazed and say, "Why did these things happen to me when I never thought about them or thought something completely different could happen?" So Proverbs 16:9 is true: "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps," even against his plan and will." So we must agree that our own cleverness and foresight don't guide our lives and actions. Instead, God's wonderful power, wisdom, and goodness guides us. Only as we look back do we fully recognize how often God was with us when we neither saw His hand nor felt His presence at the time it was happening. Accordingly, Peter said, "He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).

Even if there were no books or sermons to tell us about God, simply looking back on our own lives would prove that He tenderly carries us in His arms. When we look back on how God has led and brought us through so much evil, adversity, and danger, we can clearly see the ever-present goodness of God, which is far above our thoughts, minds, and perception.

                                Faith Alone Martin Luther

Casting Your Cares on Christ

Almighty God, with whom all things are possible, hear our prayers as we come to you in trouble and distress. You are our hiding place. You are our very present help in trouble. We have no other refuge in an hour like this. Gracious Lord You can heal. Your grace can restore to health and give us strength to carry on. We know that You are compassionate, for you have sent Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer the death of the cross in order to redeem us and make us Your own. As You did not forsake Him, surely You will not abandon us in this great time of need. As You raised Him from the dead on the third day, so we ask that You would also raise up with Him from this present danger. O Lord, we humble ourselves before You and confess our many sins. We pray, merciful Father for your grace hour by hour. Forgive us and restore us for You have made us Your own children in Christ. Remove the worries and anxious fears that would crush us. Give us grace to trust in You, whose will is wiser than our own, for we have been baptized into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.