Trusting God's Faithfulness Daily

By Dean Collins

Now and later.

Sometimes when we read scripture, we might be tempted to think that the joy, the reward, the peace, and the abundance are all for later when we get to heaven. And while we will experience all those things in eternity, scripture indicates that we can and will experience these same benefits now and along the way toward our ultimate home with God. The secret to experiencing joy, peace, and God’s provision now is connected, I think, to what and how we sow.

Today, as I was reviewing passages of scripture I had set aside in my notes, I began to see a pattern in God’s word. When we simply read our favorite books or verses in the Bible, we are likely to miss the connections and the consistency in God’s grand story, which we all share a part in. I noticed in Genesis, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Proverbs, the Gospels, and the Epistles that we are called not to fear but to trust in God and his promises to be with us and to provide for our needs. Throughout the scriptures, there are so many beautiful examples of how the obstacle and the difficulty was far too great, yet through prayer and the exercise of faith, our spiritual forefathers overcame and experienced God’s blessings and favor.

As I pondered Paul’s words in Galatians 6, where he reminds us that we should not be deceived but remember that God is not mocked, it struck me how important that reminder is for us today. Paul followed this teaching with a reminder that we harvest what we plant, or in his words, “Whatever one sows that will he also reap.”

I read news articles in various journals and national newspapers most mornings. I am sure you have noticed that every day and in nearly every source of information the suggestion is that we have much to fear. We are warned to fear the Democrats, the Republicans, the Independents, the economy, national security, the refugees, world powers, diseases, the Supreme Court, and virtually everything else. And if we sow and consume fear, we will be ridden with anxiety. We reap what we sow.

I also read more scripture than I do news, and time and time again in scripture, we are told to be strong and courageous, to trust God, to pray for wisdom and help, and to not fear. Scripture also gives us reasons and countless examples of how we can overcome our anxieties and build confidence by reviewing the many times in scripture and in our own personal history where God has repeatedly stepped into his creation and intervened for others and for us. When we sow confidence in our God and his promises, we can experience victory over our fears because our faith is properly placed.

Unfortunately, after we read our scriptures and pray, we have a tendency to drift to the idols of this world for our solutions. We think saving enough money, following the right political party, listening to our preferred news source and deferring to the values and practices of the world will somehow bring us the hope and the security for our futures. But we are warned in scripture over and over that we can and will easily drift to trusting in idols over God. If we are not careful, we just might find that we have and do turn both our politics and our preferences into idols.

I read chapter 41 in Isaiah this morning as I thought about all of this. One of my favorite passages in scripture is the tenth verse of this chapter:

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Israel had the same temptations we face, that somehow their false gods could save them from destruction and bring them into seasons of peace. But the prophet Isaiah reminded them of the fallacy of their thinking and their behavior. Isaiah reminded God’s people that the Lord was at the beginning of time and will be here at the end and final restoration of all things. He will judge, bring justice, and restore all that is broken. Which is why he can tell us here in Isaiah and in dozens of places in scripture, that we are not to live in fear but rather choose to live confidently in faith that God is with us, he is for us, he will strengthen us, help us, and will hold us up and hold us together until he comes again.

In Galatians 6 we see Paul’s follow-up to paying attention to what we sow. We are not to sow in or from the flesh, the things and systems of the world, but rather daily choose to sow what comes first from God and his Spirit. When we do, one of the outcomes is that we will not grow weary in doing good but at the right time will experience all of God’s goodness, peace, and provision. Scripture is not just to be read for inspiration. It is to be practiced every day. And as we sow the things of God, we will reap his rewards, both now and later.

Father, help us to put into practice the wisdom and truth contained in your word, that we might fully live in your Spirit now as we await your final return. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Isaiah 41:1-29; Galatians 6:7-10 ESV

Photo by Akil Mazumder: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-a-green-plant-1072824/
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