He Who Promised Is Faithful

Reflection

I consider myself a trustworthy person. I'm sure you probably do too. Most of us want to be people whose word can be trusted. If we tell someone we are going to do something, we want them to know that we mean it. We want our family, friends, and those around us to know they can depend on us.

Our confidence is not ultimately based on how strong we feel or how consistently we perform. It rests on the faithfulness of God.

But there is something about us that can change. Sometimes we change our minds. Sometimes circumstances change our plans. Sometimes we make decisions based on emotions that we later regret. There are moments when we intend to do something and simply don't follow through. Even when we sincerely want to be dependable, we are still human, and our consistency has limits.

God does not have those limitations. That is what makes Hebrews 10:23 so comforting. The writer tells us to hold firmly to our confession of faith without wavering, and then gives us the reason we can do it: "for he is faithful that promised."

That distinction matters. There will be days when we feel full of faith and days when we struggle to see beyond what is happening around us. There will be seasons when God's promises seem easy to believe and other seasons when our circumstances seem to argue against everything we know to be true. The world around us changes. People change. Circumstances change. Even our own emotions can change from one day to the next. But God does not change with them.

Unwavering Character

His promises do not become less true because our circumstances become more difficult. His faithfulness does not disappear because we are having a difficult day. What He has spoken remains trustworthy even when we cannot see how He will accomplish it. That is why the writer doesn't tell us to hold fast because everything will always look good. He points us back to the character of God. He is faithful that promised.

Sometimes we need that reminder when we look at our own lives, too. God has not only promised us forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ. He is also at work within us. And if we are honest, there may be times when we wonder how He could possibly finish what He has started. We see the same weaknesses. We recognize the same struggles. We may become discouraged when we realize that our growth isn't happening as quickly as we would like.

He Who Began a Good Work

But our hope is not that we will somehow perfect ourselves. Our hope is that God is faithful. The work of sanctification is not something we accomplish apart from Him. The Holy Spirit is working within believers, changing our hearts, teaching us, correcting us, and conforming us more closely to the image of Christ. What God begins, He is capable of completing.

Paul expressed this confidence when he told the Philippians that he was confident that "he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." What an encouragement that is.

We can look at our lives and see unfinished places. God sees what He is still doing. We can see weaknesses. He sees the work of His grace. We can see how far we still have to go. He knows exactly where He is taking us.

That doesn't mean we become passive. Hebrews tells us to hold fast. We still walk by faith. We still obey. We still repent when we sin. We still pursue holiness and allow God's Word to correct and guide us. But we do all of this with confidence in God's faithfulness rather than despair over our own shortcomings.

Perhaps today you are facing circumstances that make it difficult to trust what God has promised. Maybe something around you has changed, or someone you depended upon has disappointed you. Maybe you have even disappointed yourself. Remember this: God is not like us. People may change their minds; God does not. People may make promises they cannot keep; God keeps His promises. People may begin something and never finish it; God is faithful to complete His work.

So hold fast—not because your faith never wavers,
but because He who promised is faithful.

Before You Go

Take a moment today to think about something God has promised that you may be struggling to trust. Perhaps your circumstances have changed, or perhaps you have been waiting so long that you have begun wondering whether anything will change at all. Remember that God's faithfulness is not measured by how quickly we see an answer. His character remains the same while we wait.

And don't forget to apply this truth to your own spiritual growth. You may look at yourself and see things that still need to change. You may wonder why you continue to struggle with certain attitudes, fears, habits, or weaknesses. Keep bringing those things to the Lord. Keep walking with Him. Keep allowing His Word and His Spirit to shape you.

The unfinished work you see in yourself is not evidence that God has abandoned you. It is evidence that He is still working. So hold fast today. Trust the God who made the promise. He has not forgotten you, He has not changed His mind, and He has not stopped working. He who promised is faithful.