GOD IS TRUSTWORTHY
Trustworthy: deserving of trust or confidence; dependable; reliable; believable; steadfast
I remember a time when I was keeping my grandson and as we were riding in the car I mentioned that after picking up his sister from school we might go to his favorite play place for lunch. Over and over again he asked, “Are we going there?”I answered, “We’ll see.” He continued to ask, “Grandma, can we have lunch there?” I answered, “We might.” After several times back and forth, he finally said, “Grandma, just say YES!” It seemed that he did not think I had answered until I said “YES.” That is so like us. We pray. We ask. We expect a YES. And we expect to hear our answer sooner than later. Yet there are times when we ask for things that, in God’s plan, are not best. The answer may be “yes,” it may be “not now,” it may be, “I have a better plan,” or it may be “no.” God wants what is best for us. He acts in ways that will bring about good in our lives. We don’t always know what that looks like.
When we pray specific prayers that are consistent with God’s will and we don’t see an answer – perhaps for months or even years, we can become discouraged. Does it mean that God has not considered our request or, though He has heard our plea, He is not at work in that
situation? Should we just give up asking, or like my grandson, should we be persistent in our request? Jesus teaches about persistent prayer in Luke chapters 11 and 18. The persistent widow would not give up until the unjust judge yielded to her unrelenting pleas. The friend at midnight
had an urgent need that he could not fulfill, yet he did not give up until the need for his hungry friend was met. The answer in each of these situations did not come quickly and required persistence. In these parables Jesus teaches that we must hold fast in our belief that God will
answer. We find this assurance in Psalm 91:14-15 (NLT) The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. There are several “I will” promises in these two verses and God keeps all of His promises. When God says, “I will,” He does! In these verses we find conditions associated with these promises. We see that God asks us to love Him, to trust in His name, and when we call on Him, He promises to answer.
This leads to an important question that God asks each of us. “Do you trust me?” When we face situations that seem beyond understanding, when we pray and pray and pray and we do not see an answer of any kind, God is asking, “Do you trust me?” God wants us to grow in our trust and rely on His promise that He is working all things for our good. (Romans 8:28) He wants us to depend on the fact that He alone is the source of all power to answer our persistent prayers. We must hold fast in our belief that God will answer. It is the highest honor we can give God. He is teaching us to trust Him. God is deserving of our confidence. He is dependable, reliable, believable and steadfast. Yes, God is trustworthy!
” I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (NLT)
We welcome Carol to Laced with Grace today. Please find out more about Carol and her ministry by going to her website: Fully in Focus. Carol Graves is passionate in her desire to share how God has led her to a place of peace through focused prayer. As the leader of prayer groups for many years, she has experienced the life transforming power of focusing on the fullness of God. Her desire is to encourage and equip others to experience the “peace that passes all understanding,” through her Fully in Focus ministry. She has authored devotional books, a Bible Study and children’s books, and has been awarded two Christian Choice Book Awards. Now retired, Carol enjoys writing, speaking, teaching, traveling and spending time with her family.
so true
Thank you for the reminder that God is trustworthy. He is our strength and peace. May our trust abound more and more.