“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19).

The weekly Chaplain’s Corners this entire year-to-date have been focused on the promises of God, and there are plenty more to come. However, I thought I would take a moment just to dwell on how incredible it is that we worship a God who is willing to make promises to us, and even more awesome that our God takes those promises seriously in His fulfillment of them.

I put this in the context of something a high school friend used to say. It went something like this: “I don’t want to promise you something because I don’t want to break it.” Well, I agree that is better than making a promise you know you cannot keep, because breaking a promise leads to breaking trust whether it is keeping confidence, showing up, or fulfilling a commitment. Trust is huge with me, as I imagine that it is with you. I will trust someone until they give me a reason not to, and once the trust has been spoiled, it is really hard for me to regain that sense of trust.

However, let us take this a step farther. It can become an excuse never to make a promise, even with the admirable intention of not wanting to fall short. Our relationships are built on making commitments—the right kinds of commitments—and then following through. I do not know about you, but I want a friend that will promise to keep a confidence and then do it, who will make plans with me and then show up on time, who will commit to doing something for or with me and then follow through. And that is what God has done, repeatedly. The Bible is one example after another of God’s promises and their fulfilment.

I thought a great deal about this as we have all learned more about interacting with those experiencing homelessness and the 5:1 principle—it takes five positive interactions to balance just one negative interaction. This principle is especially true with trust. We usually trust someone until they prove untrustworthy; but once trust is broken, it can take five or more times of demonstrating trustworthiness to overcome that one violation of trust. And again, it is not enough just to be noncommittal. How secure would that feel if we did not have commitments from God regarding His presence, His providence, His saving grace?

One of the elements of the Mission Code of Conduct is Trustworthy, described in ourEmployee Handbook as: “Earn future trust by accurately reporting current and past facts. Use power and influence prudently and humbly. Model the trustworthiness of God in leadership to encourage and develop trustworthiness in others. Demonstrate a commitment to the well-being of the people we are called to serve. Keep promises. Respond sensitively and appropriately to requests and needs.”

God’s actions always coincide with his promises. God is utterly trustworthy, being truth itself and unable to lie (Hebrews 6:18). He never makes covenant promises that he cannot or will not keep. Thus, those who trust in the Lord understand that when they hear God’s promises, what He has promised is as good as done. He will certainly fulfill His word.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Luke 16:10).

In Christ,

Judy