“From the first chapter of Scripture, the Bible makes a case for the dependability of God. Nine times the text reiterates ‘God said.’ And without exception when God spoke, something happened. Something wonderful happened. . . . The reader is left with one conclusion: God’s word is sure. What he says happens.”- Max Lucado
“Let the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.”- Psalm 33:8-9 (NIV)
As Max Lucado continues Chapter 1 of Unshakable Hope, he comments on Matthew’s account of The Faith of the Centurion (Matthew 8:5-13). Therefore, Pastor Lucado notes that Jesus applauded the faith of the centurion. Why? Because the man believed in Jesus’ power to keep His word. In fact, Max asserts, Matthew’s account gives us Jesus’ definition of faith: faith is the deeply held belief that God will keep his promises.
Consequently, the Roman soldier understood the simple truth that God not only won’t, but cannot break His promises. Also, God writes His irrevocable promises in granite because He is:
- unchanging– the unexpected never catches God off guard. He never makes midcourse corrections. As we read in James 11:17 (NLT)- “He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.”
- faithful– we can trust God to keep His promises.
- strong – as Max states, God does not “overpromise and underdeliver.”
- unable to lie – Hebrews 6:18 tells us that it’s impossible for God to lie. Not unlikely or improbable. Impossible! Hence, Scripture’s quite forthright on this subject.
In conclusion, Pastor Lucado reasons that if good people are serious about keeping their word, how much more serious is our good God? Thus, the question isn’t whether God will keep His promises. Rather, will we build our lives upon them?
Today’s question: For you, what Bible verses make the case for God’s dependability? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Ponder, pray, and proclaim God’s promises”