He Is Proven as Trustworthy

Part of what being trustworthy means to me is that someone will only ask me to do something for them if they are also willing to do it for me. My roommates are great examples of this. If they ask me to pick up some food for them, then I know they will do the same for me later if I were to ask. If they ask me to clean the dishes, then I know they will clean them next time. The list could go on and on, but the point is that someone who is trustworthy will do what they ask you to do. As is the case with any good character trait, God is the perfect example of someone who proves Himself as trustworthy in this way.

In Genesis 22, we see a great example of God exhibiting this aspect of trustworthiness. To give a little background, God tells Abraham in Genesis 12 to leave the country that he has always known to go where God tells him to. He tells Abraham 2 "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” This sounds awesome, but there was a problem. Abraham was 75, and his wife Sarah was 65. But, he trusted God anyway and followed Him.

Long story short, Abraham and Sarah finally had a son 25 years after God initially told them they would. So, when Abraham is 100 and Sarah is 90 (yeah, let that sink in for a second,) they have a son named Isaac. They finally have the son that is going to be part of the promise that God made to them. But as we pick up in Genesis 22, it looks like the story is taking a different turn. In verse 2, God says to Abraham “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

I mean talk about a twist to the story. After 25 years of following God, He finally gives Abraham a son, and then He tells him to go up on a mountain and sacrifice him. This is crazy, but what’s even crazier is that Abraham doesn’t even question it, he just does it. So he straps some wood to Isaac’s back and they start walking up the mountain. Verses 7-8 say “7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.”  I mean this story is just wild.
 
A few verses later, Abraham is about to kill Isaac when an Angel of the Lord intervenes and tells him to stop what he is doing. The angel says that this proves Abraham’s dedication to God. Then Abraham looks up, and there is a ram stuck in the bushes. This act of radical obedience from Abraham is what confirmed to God that Abraham trusts Him. This is what confirmed God’s covenant with Abraham, and ultimately the nation of Israel.

A few thousand years later, we see God do what He asked Abraham to do. He sent His only Son up a hill, carrying a piece of wood, as a sacrifice. Only this time, there was no ram caught in a bush. There was no angel to intervene. This act of radical obedience from Jesus changed everything. God actually did what He asked Abraham to do. As we know, this isn’t where the story ends. Jesus came back to life three days later, spent 40 days on earth, and then ascended into heaven to take His throne.

This isn’t the only time we see God do what He asks of us. We see this time and time again. Read the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. This standard of living is impossible, but Jesus lived this way. Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’” Then, in the garden of Gethsemane, we see Him deny Himself. Jesus prays “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” Matthew 26:39. Later Jesus takes up His cross and walks to His death. God always does what He asks of us.

God is the most trustworthy person I can think of. Not only because of all of the stories that I mentioned above, but also because I have seen Him fulfill His promises to me time and time again. He will do the same for You. It might not look the way you want it to, it might not happen when you expect it, but He will do the same for you.

Author | John Wesley