God Is _______预览

God Is Trustworthy

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 NIV

Has someone ever lied to you, betrayed you, or broken your trust? Odds are, it’s happened at some point in your life, and it’ll probably happen again in the future. Why? Because humans aren’t perfect.

We try our best to keep our word, fulfill our promises, and be trustworthy, but at some point, all of us will inevitably drop the ball. Whether it’s missing a deadline at work or breaking a promise to a friend, we’ll all inevitably break trust in our relationships.

Experiencing broken trust is incredibly painful not only in the short term but also damaging in the long run. In fact, there’s extensive neuroscience research about the impact broken trust has on our brains, our bodies, and our relationships.

Our brains are wired to trust others, and when we trust, we release oxytocin, which scientists have called “the love chemical” or even “the elixir of trust.” The release of this chemical in our brain causes us to increase trust, so the more experiences we have with positive trust, the more willing we are to trust others.

The opposite is also true, though. When someone breaks our trust, it stimulates the part of the brain that produces fear, making it even more difficult to trust in the future.

So when it comes to trusting God, we’re often tempted to project past experiences with imperfect humans onto our current experiences with a perfect God.

Maybe it’s difficult for you to trust God because a parent or authority figure hurt you. Or maybe it’s difficult for you to trust God because something awful happened in your life, and it seems like God didn’t answer your prayer to stop it.

And while the pain of these experiences is real, it doesn’t change the truth about who God is. He is the only one who is completely trustworthy. Let’s take a look at what Scripture tells us about why we can put our trust in God:

• He never changes. Unlike humans, who can change their mind at any time, God will never change His mind about His love for you or His good plans for you. He is consistent, and His love is constant. (See Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8.)
• He never leaves us nor forsakes us. Nothing you do could ever make God turn away from you. His presence is with us always, and no matter what happens to us, He will be with us through it all. (See Hebrews 13:5 and Romans 8:39.)
• He’s always working for our good. Even when we experience pain in this life, God can create beauty from ashes. He specializes in restoration and redemption, and He can give purpose to our pain. (See Romans 8:28, Isaiah 61:1-3.)

No matter how many times other people have let you down, God never will. He will never leave you, and He is worthy of your trust.

Pray: God, it can sometimes be difficult for me to trust You because _________. Would You help me overcome that barrier and trust You completely? Thank You for being completely trustworthy. Continue to build my faith and trust in who You are, and thank You for working through all things to bring about Your good. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Challenge: Take some time to pray about and identify any area in your life where you aren’t fully trusting God. Then, surrender those things to Him. You might even write them down and put them in a container to symbolize that you’re handing it over to God.