“My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.”
Isaiah 46:10 (RSV)
“This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day.”
John 6:39 (RSV)
Jesus said He will lose none of those that the Father gave Him, and He will raise up every soul that His Father entrusted to Him. God’s purpose will stand and His will shall be done, and He works through us and among us, in spite of our shortcomings. We always hear that we should trust in God, but this message is about how God trusts in us, even when we make mistakes or lose our way.
Moses had a bad temper when he was young. One day he saw an Egyptian taskmaster beating a slave, and in a moment of anger, he killed that taskmaster. After that, he fled and became a fugitive, living a quiet life as a shepherd for many years.
Then one day, God called Moses from a burning bush, and sent him back to Egypt, to lead his people out of slavery. Despite his history of killing a man, and being unfamiliar with the faith of his Hebrew culture, God trusted Moses to be the man who could best deliver His people.
Joseph was a righteous man, but his engagement to Mary was as binding as marriage in their culture. When he learned that she was pregnant, he was too kind to expose her to shame, so he decided to divorce her quietly. In spite of his doubts, God came to Joseph in a dream, assuring him to proceed with the marriage, telling him that Mary was pregnant with the Son of God. Joseph obeyed and became the husband and father that God trusted him to be.
Jesus chose twelve special men to invest His love, trust and time in, and yet they were the least likely twelve men to choose as disciples. Some of them had temperament problems, some had ego problems, and one had an unethical reputation. All of them were slow to learn what Jesus taught, but He still trusted them.
Matthew was a Jewish tax collector, whose job was to collect taxes and levies under Roman jurisdiction. It was common for tax collectors of that day, to take extra money and keep it for themselves, which is why he was so despised. In spite of these issues, Jesus called Matthew, trusting him to be one of His chosen disciples.
The brothers, James and John, were nicknamed “sons of thunder”, because in the beginning, they were zealous for Jesus to punish people. They also argued about which of them would be the greatest in heaven.
Peter had an impulsive temperament and cut off a man’s ear, when they came to arrest Jesus. Later, he caved under pressure, denying that he ever knew Him. Just knowing about these men and their flaws could create a lot of doubt, but Jesus still trusted them to become His disciples.
God is not turned off by anyone’s past or imperfections. He trusts in us, not based on our merit, but because we are loved and love never gives up hope. He sees in each of us, what we can become, and trusts us to cooperate with His grace and His plans. He trusts that we will grow in His grace, and become stronger in spite of the tests and trials we go through.
God sees in us what we cannot see in ourselves, and He believes in our future, even when we are hung up on our past. Whenever I strayed away from Him, He trusted that I would repent and return to seek a deeper intimacy with Him, and God is always right in the end. When we realize how much He trusts us, we also become more aware of how He is trusting others.
Lord, thank you for your love and trust in us. Thank you for helping us to overcome our failures and return to your throne of grace. Help us to always trust in you as you trust in us. Amen