Whether we believe God or not depends on how much faith we put in His Word. Many say that they believe in God, but do not actually obey His commands. They are sceptical about God’s words and would rather sit it out than take that step of faith in obeying it. Certainly, we need the kind of faith that the apostle Paul had in order to be able to fully believe and trust God’s promises. In encouraging those who were with him, he said, “So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me” (Acts 27:25). When Paul uttered these words, they were in the midst of a storm. The future was bleak as the storm raged and continued to batter the ship they were in. Their very lives were threatened and everyone was in suspense and had gone without food for days.
But what did God tell the apostle Paul? God said, “‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you” (Acts 27:24). God assured Paul that not one of them would be lost. However, Paul had to remind them that the reason they were in the midst of a storm was because the men with him did not heed his advice. Earlier, Paul told them not to proceed, because the voyage would be dangerous and disastrous. However, instead of listening to Paul, the centurion followed the advice of the captain and the owner of the ship. They proceeded with their plan and found themselves in the very situation that Paul warned them about.
Listening to godly counsel is certainly beneficial, but who would listen? The fact that godly counsels concerning the future are drawn from God’s commands and promises make them doubly difficult for others to heed. Many would rather make decisions based on what they can see now, or what they call “reality”. As a result, they refuse to take that step of faith and trust that God will do just as He said he would do. As believers, we should not think the way that unbelievers think. Instead, we should be like Abraham: “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be’. Without weakening in his faith, Abraham faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:18-21). By the standards of the world, Abraham’s case was a hopeless one. Not only was he old and as good as dead, but his wife’s womb was also dead. However, to God everything is possible if we believe.
As for God’s promises, we should be persuaded that He will fulfill them all. Even Balaam, the sorcerer, was fully convinced that God is always true to His words when he said, “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Num. 23:19). No matter how many promises the Lord has given, they will all be fulfilled. When Joshua—who saw all the miracles that God did before the Israelites in Egypt and in the wilderness—was about to depart from this world, he concluded: “Not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed” (Joshua 23:14). All these words should encourage us today to put our faith and trust in the Lord. The promises of the Lord will surely come to pass.
When faced with difficult and challenging situations, it is always good to recall the very words of the apostle Paul to take courage and to believe in God’s promises. Lets us also heed the counsel of the godly, that we may avoid the storms of life. There will be many who will come to offer their advices, but we must be more discerning. Many of these advisers have their own personal biases and we might find ourselves in their situation if we heed their counsels. While it is good to learn from their experiences, we should nevertheless seek the counsel of the Lord. Indeed, it will happen just as He will tell us. Hallelujah!
