In God we trust?
Our lives require quite high levels of trust. We trust that the lights will go on when we turn a switch, that the car will start, that the buses will run on time. We trust that schools will provide good education for our children, that doctors will do their best for our healing, that grocers will provide fresh food in exchange for our cash. We trust that our friends will show up when and where we arrange to meet and that they and our families will be there for us when we need them.
Sometimes we need greater security in order to trust, so we agree to sign contracts or make other binding promises. A signature, a seal, or a ring show that both parties agree to be bound by the terms of the agreement. Trusting relationships and contractual arrangements are just part of our daily lives.
But what about trusting in God? If we believe that God holds our future in his hands, then the relationship of trust between us and God must be the most important one we can enter into our lives. Can we rely on Him for guidance in this life and in the life to come?
God reminds us again and again that he is trustworthy. In the stories from the Bible, he even initiates covenants with people, making binding promises as a sign that He will be a faithful God who loves them and guides them. Abraham, in our reading today, watched God sign and seal His promise according to an ancient ritual. Both parties walked a line between carcasses of animals, saying solemnly that the same fate awaits the one who breaks the agreement made that day. God graciously gave Abraham a visible sign that he would keep his promise so that Abraham could continue to trust God as he wandered through the land, still childless and yet still believing he would have an heir.
God has signed and sealed his promises to us as well. He promises to forgive our sins and to raise us to new life after we die. That promise is the New Covenant, a promise which is signed in the blood of Jesus and sealed by the Holy Spirit. The cross is a visible sign to us of his love and faithfulness. Like Abraham and like the Apostle Paul, we walk by faith, trusting that our citizenship is in heaven, from where our Saviour will return and transform us into people who truly bring glory to him.
Trust this promise-keeping God with your life and with your future while you can. His mercy will never run out, but your time to enter into this relationship of trust may.