Tony Elder, Author/Pastor

At the time of this writing another ceasefire agreement has been announced for the Middle East situation, including the opening up of the strategic waterway that has been shut down for a while. Hopefully, this one will become reality. Over the past months we have experienced so many mixed messages about this conflict from our government leaders that it has become a target of much ridicule and sarcastic humor. We have been assured at various times that peace was imminent, that enemy capabilities to retaliate were destroyed, that ships would be able to get back to normal traffic, only to face disappointment as those declarations proved to be untrue. For whatever reason – premature optimism, exaggerated claims, the difficulty of negotiating with different factions – what our leaders claimed often failed to materialize.

Aren’t you thankful that the One who is the Ruler of all things is more dependable than that? If God says something, we can depend on it. If He gives us a promise, we can be assured that it will come to pass. His character is such that He cannot lie. He is a good God who doesn’t seek to deceive us. Neither are there circumstances beyond His control. He is the all-wise God who is not surprised by anything that happens. While He gives people the right to choose, no one has the power to thwart God’s ultimate purposes for the world. We can choose whether or not we are going to align ourselves with Him and His will for us, but He will fulfill His plan with or without us. He can even take the bad things in life and turn them around to bring about something good.  

One of the clearest statements of this truth comes from the God-given prophecies of Balaam, that enigmatic figure in the Old Testament. “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19). God will do whatever He says. And that includes whatever He says He can do in our lives. Right after the Apostle Paul prays for God to sanctify His people or make them holy, he declares, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it” (I Thessalonians 5:24). If God tells us to do something, He will enable us to fulfill His will.   

If God is dependable, if His word is sure, and if we are to be more like Him, then shouldn’t we be people whose word can be counted on too? Jesus talked about how we shouldn’t need to swear oaths. If we say that something is true or if we declare that we are going to do something, then that should settle the matter. Our word should be enough. He said, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37).

Can people count on us to do what we say? Granted, we still face limitations which could hinder us from fulfilling a promise. We may face an unexpected obstacle. We may be hindered by the resistance of other people who are involved. We may have miscalculated our capabilities. However, we should not be known as people whose words should be taken lightly. We need to be careful what we say. We need to take seriously the promises we make. Instead of becoming laughingstocks because of our mixed messages, we should be known as people of our word.

God is faithful to do as He says. Let’s be more like Him.