Is Anything Believable Anymore?

The world is chaotic of late. Military conflict abounds. Fentanyl continues to spread, claiming lives that are ending far too early. Men pretend to be women and women pretend to be men, and this is now characterized as the new “science.” Grotesque surgeries are mutilating children. The Olympic Women’s Boxing championship bout featured two X/Y chromosome men beating on each other to win the gold medal as the Olympic Committee announces a net revenue loss of two billion dollars. George Orwell’s Thought Police are scouring social media looking for posts that do not align with governmentally sanctioned points of view. The public has lost all trust in the news media which has displayed a repeated abandonment of integrity and objectivity opting, rather, to be a propaganda machine. As prices skyrocket, salaries fail to keep pace, yet governmental talking points continue to tell us the economy is in great shape.. Riots dominate the streets of London.

Shall I go on? Because I can!

Is anything believable anymore? Can anything or anyone be trusted?

God is Trustworthy

The works of his hands are faithful and just;
    all his precepts are trustworthy;
– Psalm 111:7, ESV

While trying to get to Rome, the apostle Paul boarded an Alexandrian ship headed to Italy. The ship made it as far as Crete and, while there, Paul advised them to remain, lest they lose their cargo and possibly their lives. Paul’s words went unheeded. The centurion, pilot, and ship’s owner opted to sail on. Having done so, the ship ran into trouble just as Paul predicted it would.

Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.”
– Acts 27:21-25, ESV

Do you … can you believe God? Can you look at your life’s storm and believe “it will be just as God said it will be?” Can you look at the burning cities, the riots, looting, and violence and conclude, “But I will be fine because my God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”?

When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.
– Acts 27:20, ESV

Hope was gone. Not small. Not dwindling. Gone!

But God was telling of a different outcome. Paul had a choice to make. Believe God, or believe the fears of those around him. Paul could have the faith of Abraham or the fears of carnal men.

No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but [Abraham] grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
– Romans 4:20-21, ESV

God’s Word is Trustworthy

God speaks to us through his Word, codified in your Bible. I have repeatedly found God’s Word to be reliable; worthy of my trust.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
– 2 Timothy 3:16, BSB

For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
– Psalm 33:4, ESV

We can believe God. We must believe God. To not believe God is to make of him a liar.¹

As for those who do not believe, we can pray for them, witness to them, love them as best we can. But we cannot be swayed by their lack of faith.

What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar.
– Romans 3:3-4a, ESV

God’s Word Confirms His Faithfulness

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
    from those who walk uprightly.
– Psalm 84:11, ESV

It has become terribly difficult of late to determine who or what is true. The human race has become exceedingly adept at lying. The new surge of convincing untruth comes at us in the form of artificially generated subterfuge. We somewhat errantly refer to it as “AI.”

But not God.

God is not man, that he should lie,
    or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
    Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
– Psalm 84:11, ESV

The contrast between who and what God is and who and what man is could not be greater. Yes, we are created in God’s image, but God is not created in our image. Indeed, God is not created!!

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.
– Isaiah 55:8-9, ESV

We are limited in our understanding, our vision, our linear nature. The irony is that we, in our limited nature, are attempting to wrap our minds and understanding around an unlimited God. It is a practice in futility and absurdity. We will never understand God fully until we see him face to face.

Yet, with even less understanding than the Spirit indwelt believer has, the godless world sees itself as qualfied to judge God.

Your Future is Glorious

Whether you do or do not see it, God is doing a work in you.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
– Philippians 1:6, ESV

God is faithful and true. He is the author of truth. Walk steadfastly in truth brothers and sisters.

For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
– 3 John 1:3-4, ESV

1. 1 John 5:10