God Can Be Trusted
Actor and comedian Ray Romano said it best, “Having children is like living in a frat house — nobody sleeps, everything is broken and there’s a lot of throwing up.” If simply getting the next generation out the door for Church on Sunday morning wasn’t enough of a monumental task, parents, grandparents and caregivers then have to consider how we answer the call of Psalm 78 (verses 4, 6-7) from today’s Daily Office readings in “The Book of Common Prayer.”
“We will recount to generations to come
the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the Lord...
That the generations to come might know,
and the children yet unborn;
that they in their turn might tell it to their children;
So that they might put their trust in God,
and not forget the deeds of God,
but keep his commandments…”
What are the fundamental understandings about our God that are most essential to pass along to future generations? And how best do we go about imparting these enduring truths in an authentic and meaningful way?
These are some of the questions the Rev. Wesley Arning and I are exploring in the second season of the Wayside Podcast (click here to listen). One of the core messages of Psalm 78 may offer us a crucial starting point in those conversations — the trustworthiness of our God.
The psalmist recounts the history of the Israelite people and the wideness of God’s abundant mercy, despite their (and our) tendency to be “stubborn,” “rebellious” and “unfaithful.” (verse 8). Psalm 78 reminds us that one reason to tell our children these stories of the wonders of what God has done in the history of the human family — and in our very own families — is to demonstrate His steadfast love and goodness towards us.
This is a powerful message for our children, who will invariably face trouble, pain and all the manifestations of our fallen world. And yet, they can rest assured that God can still be trusted. St. Paul proclaims this in his letter to the Romans when he writes, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.”[1] This does not mean that if we love God and follow His ways things will always go our way. Rather, God’s trustworthiness means that “in and through whatever happens, good and bad alike, God’s purposes can and will be worked out.”[2]
God can be trusted. Amen.
[1] Romans 8:28
[2] Lloyd, Michael. “Cafe Theology,” 3rd ed., Alpha International, 2012. p. 98.
