How embarrassing! In my grief I found myself not trusting God to attend to and care for the love of my life, my dear departed wife. Surely, my sorrow was heightened by my failure to trust God fully. While others rejoiced in part because Bonnie no longer suffered pain and surely was resting comfortably in the bosom of Abraham (Luke 16:22) in paradise (Luke 23:43), I could not bring myself to share those sentiments.
Doubtlessly, wanting to put her house in order – wanting to make sure (2 Peter 1:10), weeks before she passed away, Bonnie asked me if she were saved. I responded that she and I had done everything that we knew to do in God’s Holy Word for the forgiveness of sins and preparedness for eternity. Underlying even such a response resonates a chink in the armor of trusting God. “But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation” (Psalms 13:5). “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation’” (Isaiah 12:2).
Does God really exist? Has He forgiven us of our many and frequent sins? Will He really usher us – feeble, beggarly specimens of mortality – into His heavenly home forever? Can we trust God?
It is at times like these when we have no control and no answers for such things as terminal illness followed by premature death that one inspects his belief system and inspects his relationship with the God of his belief system. Nothing brings about a reality check in one’s life like the death of a dear loved one.
That God certainly exists is heralded loudly at every juncture of this created and designed universe. From the heavenly bodies to the very composition of our bodies God shouts, “I am!” (Romans 1:20). Subsequently, it is in the Bible that mankind discovers the details, about God as well as about a myriad of other pieces of indispensable knowledge.
Upon reexamination of personal faith, contingent on the system of faith – the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the origin and trustworthiness of the Bible comes to the forefront. There is no book like it – or even close to it – among all of the literary works in the whole world. No other document is even closely validated by as many ancient manuscripts as is the Bible. No other writing is as perfectly in tune with itself, though human penman (i.e., about 40 men) transcribed it over a millennium and a half (i.e., about 1,600 years); the Bible not only does not contradict itself, but neither does it contradict historical, geographical, topographical or truly scientific facts.
The one biblical feature that clearly sets the Bible apart from every other document is the accuracy of its several hundred prophecies and fulfillments – something that merely human productions are incapable of duplicating. For instance, the prophecies of Isaiah (2:1-3) and Daniel (2:31-45), made about 700 years before their fulfillment, were completely fulfilled regarding the establishment of the church. Besides additional similar prophecies and subsequent fulfillments, over 300 ancient prophecies regarding the coming of the Messiah (i.e., the Christ) were fulfilled also in every minute detail.
Therefore, one’s confidence is rightly placed in the Bible, for it is the Word of Almighty God. In the Bible, we learn of God, as well as the blessings that He reserves for His obedient (Hebrews 5:8-9), adopted children (Romans 8:15; Ephesians 1:5). Hence, to summarize using a colloquial expression, trust in God ‘is the only ballgame in town’ – there is no one else to whom we can turn other than to God (John 6:67-69). There is hope in no other (Acts 4:12)!
That hope must not be confined to our planetary home, but it must be based in the eternal, spiritual realm. “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable” (1 Corinthians 15:19 NKJV). “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 NKJV).
“In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge” (Proverbs 14:26). “Trust in the Lord forever, For in Jehovah, the Lord, is everlasting strength” (Isaiah 26:4). “The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him” (Nahum 1:7).
We mortals have no viable choice other than to trust God (2 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Timothy 6:17). “Keep my soul, and deliver me; Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You” (Psalms 25:20). “But my eyes are upon You, O God the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute” (Psalms 141:8). “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord” (Jeremiah 17:7).
The trials, adversities and personal tragedies with which we are buffeted in life are bigger than we are able to accommodate alone. Therefore, we need to ‘cast all of our cares upon God, for He cares for us’ (1 Peter 5:7). “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You” (Psalms 9:10). “He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord” (Psalms 112:7).
Again with the psalmist we can identify. “Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust” (Psalms 16:1). “But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, You are my God” (Psalms 31:14). “…I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever” (Psalms 52:8). “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalms 23:4).
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). At best, our “own understanding” is shortsighted and incomplete. “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalms 34:8). “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings” (Psalms 36:7).
