Trust God to Keep His Promises

In Job 23:12 I read, “I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread." (NIV)

Admitting my hopelessness to God can be a statement of faith. Trusting God but feeling despair at the same time, David wrote, “I believed, so I said, ‘I am completely ruined’” (Psalm 116:10 NCV).

This sounds like a contradiction: I trust God, but I’m wiped out! David’s frankness actually reveals deep faith. First, he believed in God. Second, he believed God would listen to his prayer. Third, he believed God would let him say what he felt and still love him.

Regardless of my circumstances and how I feel, hang on to God’s unchanging character. Remind myself of what I know to be eternally true about God: He is good, he loves me, he is with me, he knows what I’m going through, he cares, and he has a good plan for my life. The late Raymond Edman, who was president of Wheaton College, once said, “Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light.”

When Job’s life fell apart and God was silent, Job still found reasons to praise God. I can praise God for these same reasons:

He is good and loving. (Job 10:12)

He is all-powerful. (Job 42:2; 37:5, 23)

He notices every detail of my life. (Job 23:10; 31:4)

He is in control. (Job 34:13)

He has a plan for my life. (Job 23:14)

He will save me. (Job 19:25)

During times of spiritual dryness, patiently rely on the promises of God, not my emotions. And realize that he is taking me to a deeper level of maturity, because a friendship based on emotion is shallow.

So I won't be troubled by trouble. Circumstances cannot change the character of God. God’s grace is still in full force; he is still for me, even when I don’t feel it. In the absence of confirming circumstances, Job held on to God’s Word. He said, “I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread” (Job 23:12 NIV).

This trust in God’s Word caused Job to remain faithful even though nothing in his life made sense. His faith remained strong in the middle of pain, and God honored and restored Job because of it.

In summary, do not depart from His commands; instead treasure His words more than my daily bread. Admitting my hopelessness to God can be a statement of faith. Trusting God, but feeling despair. This sounds like a contradiction: I trust God, but I’m wiped out! David’s frankness actually reveals deep faith. First, he believed in God. Second, he believed God would listen to his prayer. Third, he believed God would let him say what he felt and still love him. Regardless of my circumstances and how I feel, hang on to God’s unchanging character. Remind myself of what I know to be eternally true about God: He is good, he loves me, he is with me, he knows what I’m going through, he cares, and he has a good plan for my life. When Job’s life fell apart and God was silent, Job still found reasons to praise God. I can praise God for these same reasons:

He is good and loving. (Job 10:12)

He is all-powerful. (Job 42:2; 37:5, 23)

He notices every detail of my life. (Job 23:10; 31:4)

He is in control. (Job 34:13)

He has a plan for my life. (Job 23:14)

He will save me. (Job 19:25)

So during times of spiritual dryness, learn to patiently rely on the promises of God, and not my emotions. Realize that he is taking me to a deeper level of maturity. So don't be troubled by trouble. Circumstances cannot change the character of God. God’s grace is still in full force; he is still for me, even when I don’t feel it. In the absence of confirming circumstances, Job held on to God’s Word. This trust in God’s Word caused Job to remain faithful even though nothing in his life made sense. His faith remained strong in the middle of pain, and God honored and restored Job because of it.