Trusting God's Character

 Most of us have several acquaintances, but having someone we can trust is a rarer relationship. Trust is the foundation on which any true relationship is built. Without trust, our relationships have no depth, no intimacy, only questions and doubt. Trust is what separates the hundreds of shallow relationships you have and the few that you hold so dear. Think about it, how many people can you actually confide in with your deep dark secrets, your faults or your failures? How many people are you letting your young children stay alone with? How many people can you be completely vulnerable with and instead of judgement or blame you receive encouragement and love? But as rare as it is to find a genuine, trustworthy friend, the disappointing fact remains that as finite, flaw filled beings, that friend who we consider trustworthy has the ability to disappoint you, lie to you, and ultimately betray you. All this is because their character is flawed by default based on the fact they are human and given time and opportunity they will not live up to the standards that which we try to hold them to.

Understanding the limitations of man's characteristics and how we should be careful not to hold each other to standards we cannot meet comes with maturing spiritually. But even though the characteristics of men are flawed, inconsistent and untrustworthy, God’s character does not, and cannot change. While man’s characteristics may change with our circumstances, God’s character, in His sovereignty, does not. Although man and God may share some characteristics, as in their common name, they are nothing to be compared. Let's break this down.

When the Bible says,

• He is good (Psalm 34:8), He is good because He defines what is good and can be nothing else.
• He is just (Psalm 89:14), He is just because He alone sits on the throne.
• He is gracious (Exo 34:6), because He alone can prevent the punishment we deserve.
• He is merciful (Lamentations 3:22-23), because He alone can give the unmerited gift of eternal life.

So, man may be good, just, gracious or merciful, but it is measured by man’s standards, not to the standards of a Holy God. We spend our lives building, mending and even ending relationships with imperfect beings and wonder why it's so hard, but we fail to see the stability and value in a relationship with a God who cannot fail or disappoint us.

Even if we currently have a relationship with God, it might be shallow, just like many of our earthly relationships. We say we have faith, but we oftentimes don’t believe His promises. We say we trust Him, but we find ourselves relying on people and things other than our Creator. Man is built for community, that is why the local church is so important, but our first and most important relationship, even above our spouse, should be with a God who longs to fellowship with us. Our heavenly Father fills the gap that is too often left by those around us. He is a father to the fatherless. He will listen when no one else cares. He will forgive when everyone else convicts. He will love unconditionally. He cannot fail us. His Word is true and faithful, and He cannot lie. His character will not change, so your relationship with Him is as strong as you desire it to be. Read, and allow His Word to mold you, and trust that the God who created you can also sustain you.