Trusting God in Difficulty and Uncertainty
In our lives unexpected crises come along every so often and turn our lives upside down challenging our faith in God. Health problems, financial problems, problems at work, broken relationships, and the death of loved ones can cause us to question our faith in God. Problems in our nation and world such as natural disasters, poverty, political dysfunction, and violence also put pressure on our faith. The difficulties and uncertainties we experience can make it hard to trust God. Is God reliable? Is God faithful?
We are not the first generation of Christians to wrestle with these questions. The recipients of the book of Hebrews questioned God’s faithfulness. In chapter 10 of Hebrews, we learn that the recipients of Hebrews were greatly suffering because of their faith. They were publically insulted and humiliated for their faith. Some of them were imprisoned by the authorities. Others had their property confiscated. The threats of humiliation, imprisonment, and poverty they faced had caused some of them to hide their faith and stop associating with the church. Others were still associating with the church but were wavering in their faith in God.
In Hebrews 11:11-12, the author is holding up Abraham and Sarah as examples of faith. Abraham and Sarah were the couple God called and set apart to form the nation of Israel out of. God created this new nation out of Abraham and Sarah’s descendants so that it would be a blessing to the nations. Obviously God’s plan required that Abraham and Sarah have children. When God made these promises to them they were childless. God specifically promised them that they would have a son. In verse 11 we learn that Sarah was past childbearing age. Scholars estimate that Sarah was about 90 years old. I’m sure you can imagine the challenges of having a child at that age! We’re told in verse 11 that Sarah had faith for having this son because “she considered him faithful who had made the promise.” Sarah trusted God even though having a son at her age was impossible. She believed God is trustworthy, that God keeps his promises. Verse 12 drives this point home. Abraham was even older than Sarah and to emphasize God’s faithfulness the author uses the phrase “as good as dead” to describe him. From this elderly couple God brought innumerable descendants. God is faithful. God keeps his promises even in the most improbable situations.
God’s trustworthiness is emphasized throughout Hebrews. Hebrews teaches us that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the great high priest of a new covenant. Through his sacrificial death, Jesus has cleansed us from our sin and brought us into the Most Holy Place, the very presence of God. Hebrews 10:19-23 describes this so well. “He who promised is faithful.” God cannot do more for us than what God has done through Jesus. In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ we see the ultimate expression of God’s faithfulness to us.
The recipients of Hebrews were enduring hardship because of their faith. The author of Hebrews wants them to determine God’s trustworthiness from what God has done in the lives of Old Testament figures like Abraham and Sarah and ultimately from what God has done for them in Jesus Christ. He doesn’t want them determining God’s reliability from their circumstances. The same is true for us. We must not allow our circumstances to determine God’s trustworthiness. When we base our trust in God on our circumstances then our trust in God fluctuates with positive or negative developments in our lives. We trust God because God cannot do more for us than what God has already done through Jesus Christ. It is Christ, not our circumstances, that establishes God’s faithfulness.
