Why Should I Trust God?

Why Should I Trust God?

Dr. Rick Mandl - January 22, 2021

Why Should I Trust God?

Devotional Manuscript: Why Should I Trust God?

Message by Dr. Rick Mandl, January 22, 2021, Eagle Rock Baptist Church

Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.

 

Hey church family. This weekend we’re wrapping up our teaching series called “In God We Trust” and we’re looking at the question – “Why Should I Trust God?” I think it’s a fair question. Because if, trusting God guaranteed me a pass on all the pain and problems in life, then I could certainly understand why I should trust Him. But inasmuch as I don’t get that kind of guarantee, then why should I trust Him?

The problem of evil or suffering is a barrier for a lot of people when it comes to placing their trust in God. The American poet and writer Archibald MacLeish, in his 1959 play “J.B.”, makes the statement, “If God is God He is not good, If God is good He is not God."

Ponder his words for a moment because I believe that they sum up the problem well. If God is all-powerful, (if he’s God) then he has the ability to stop all the evil in the world. And if God is perfectly good, he would want to stop all the evil in the world. Evil, however, exists in the world. Therefore, God either must not be all powerful, or He must not be all good, so in either case, why trust him.

The problem with that argument is that it ignores the Biblical worldview … The Biblical worldview is that . . . God created everything and called it good; Mankind, back in Eden, made a bad choice that has had disastrous repercussions for every generation since; As a result death has reigned—spiritually, physically, and morally— But God staged a long-term rescue mission; that mission began when Jesus dealt with sin at the cross, and it will culminate when He returns to rule over a restored creation with those He was sent to save.

If you don't live with that worldview, most of life is going to seem random, arbitrary, cruel, and frightening. Even if you do live with that worldview, life will still hurt and be hard, but the bigger picture of God's purposes will bring clarity to you and comfort you.

The Bible helps us lean into this perspective. It shows us that even as Christians, we're not immune to pain. Jesus said that the Father "makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45 NKJV). In one sense it’s an over-simplification to say that bad things happen to good people, because the Bible also makes it clear that, in light of God's holiness, there are no "good" people. We all fall short, and even our most righteous deeds are a pile of dirty rags before the Lord. But the amazing thing about the way in which God works in our lives is that He is able to work all of our shortcomings and failings into an opportunity for something good, if we trust in Him.

Think of David, the man after God's own heart. When bad things happened—when he was on the run from Saul, David still believed God was in charge and in control. He had a high view of God. This belief steadied him and gave him confidence and courage. David's suffering still ministers to us today. When bad things happened, David could say, "But God is still on His throne." That means when bad things happen in our lives, it's not the end of the story.

Evil may succeed for a day or for a season, but in the end, God will triumph, and we will triumph with Him. In the meantime, every hardship is an opportunity to check your worldview and examine the way in you’re looking at life. We’ll dig deeper into that this weekend as we examine the question – “Why Should I Trust God?” I hope you can be with us.

Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.

 

 

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