Until you trust the faithfulness of God you will not remain faithful to God.
A Truer World
In 1895, W.E.B. Du Bois graduated from Harvard University with a PhD. In any year, graduating from Harvard with a PhD would be an accomplishment for anyone. But in those days, in his context, it was especially significant and impressive.
W.E.B. Du Bois was the first African American to graduate from Harvard. When he came to Harvard, they didn’t recognize the degree he had earned from Fisk University. So he first had to earn a second bachelors degree from Harvard before continuing with his doctoral studies. And because he was black he wasn’t allowed on campus after 6pm.
W.E.B. Du Bois knew something about struggle, hardship, disappointment, discrimination, and suffering. He spent his life as a sociologist working to make things right for those who were struggling against racism and all the problems it brings.
W.E.B. Du Bois once wrote these beautiful words…
“What are these songs, and what do they mean? . . . They are the music of an unhappy people, of the children of disappointment; they tell of death and suffering and unvoiced longing toward a truer world.”
– W.E.B. Du Bois
Disappointment with God
My guess is that at some point, we’ve all longed for a “truer world.”
That was true for W.E.B. Du Bois in the late 1800’s, early 1900’s. And that’s true for so many people around the world today.
Longing for a “truer world” means the world we live in more often than not is filled with half truths and mistruths. A world where we’ve been on the receiving end of broken promises. Where we’ve been lied to. Disappointed.
So what happens when we start doubting, because of the disappointments of life, that God is not good and that God is not a God of His word?
What happens when we begin to doubt the faithfulness of God?
The problem so many of us are dealing with is that until we trust the faithfulness of God we will not remain faithful to God.
Disappointment, Doubt, Self Reliance
This is why, more often than not, we rely on ourselves instead of God.
We’ve prayed about it but because God isn’t acting quickly enough, we’ve decided to take matters into our own hands.
Disappointment leads to doubt. And our doubt leads to self reliance.
We asked God to deliver us from that struggle or temptation but when it reared it’s ugly head again we gave in because we didn’t really trust God to help us in our time of need.
We say that we believe God is a good God but at the end of the day, we blame God for something that happened to us. We believed God could have done something and when those prayers went unanswered it hurt and we still have some disappointment, some questions, some unmet expectations, some hard feelings toward God.
And until we trust the faithfulness of God we will not remain faithful to God.
What happened to the promise?
If you’ve ever doubted God’s goodness, His faithfulness, if you’ve ever wondered if God is going to keep the promises He has made. You are not alone.
Early on in the life of the church this was precisely the problem they were facing. If you can imagine being among the first people to call themselves Christians, to identify as Jesus followers, believing that He is God’s Messiah, and believing that one day soon He is coming again!
All the hardship and suffering, all the pain and problems, all the unhappy songs of disappointment, death, and suffering they were facing would be no more. When Jesus returns they would enter into the new heavens, the new earth, into the new world, a “truer world,” where everything is the way it’s supposed to be!
The problem, of course, is that they were waiting for the return of Christ but as far as they could tell… Jesus hadn’t come back yet!
Unmet Expectations
In 2 Peter 3.3-15, Peter wants to remind these early christians of the faithfulness of God. He writes…
“I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again?”
What happened to the promise? You believe Jesus is coming again. Where is he? When is he returning? Why are you still waiting? Talk about unmet expectations!
If we’re being honest, most of us don’t live with the same kind of hope and expectation that these first or second generation Christians did. Because they lived with such hope, such expectation, and because Jesus hadn’t returned yet… they were wondering if God was going to keep this promise.
And what they meant by that was: Will God keep this promise in our lifetime? Because that’s what they expected. And if they were left waiting… if God didn’t keep that promise during their lifetime, what does that mean about God’s faithfulness?
And Peter knew… as long as they doubted God’s faithfulness to them they would not be able to remain faithful to God!
What promise are you holding onto?
I don’t know if that’s the particular promise you’re wondering about today. But my guess is that we’re all holding on to a promise of God (or two!) and it’s our hope and our earnest expectation that God will keep that promise.
And chances are, you’ve got scoffers in your life. It may be a voice inside your head, it may be friends that are questioning your faith… But if God is God and if God is good… why isn’t God keeping His promises to you!?
As long as you doubt God’s faithfulness to you, you will not be able to remain faithful to God!
3 Reasons You Can Count on God
BUT Peter says… you can count on God because…
1 // God has always kept his Word.
“They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.” – 2 Peter 3.5-7
How did God create the heavens and the earth?
He spoke and it came into existence! There is POWER, wonder working power in the Word of God. He speaks and worlds are formed, stars fill universes, and light pushes back the darkness!
By the power of His Word, God flooded the world with water in judgement in the days of Noah. God kept his word that he would flood the earth in judgement.
And by the power of His word, one day, God will keep his word and this world will be destroyed with fire in judgement. There is a final day coming, a final day of judgement coming. Jesus will return and when He does all this will pass away.
You can count on God to keep his promise because God always keeps His word.
Not only that, you can count on God because…
2 // God’s timing is always perfect.
“But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.” – 2 Peter 3.8
So I was wondering this week… if a day is like a thousand years to God, and a thousand years is like a day, then how long is 1 year? How long is a month? How long is a day? Well… that sounded like too much of a word problem for me so I reached out to a friend who I know loves word problems and according to him…
If a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, then…
Then 1 year would be like 365,000 years.
A month could vary from 28,000 to 31,000 years.
1 week would be like 7,000 years.
In other words… a day is an eternity in the economy of Heaven. If you’ve been wrestling with a problem for a day, God’s been with you in your wrestling for a thousand years. If you’ve been struggling with an issue for a year, it’s felt like 365,000 years to God! Whatever time frame you’re dealing with, every second of your suffering has been MAGNIFIED in the throne room of Heaven.
On the other hand, don’t ever give up on God because…
If a thousand years is like a day…
Then 1 year has only ben like 86.4 seconds for God.
A month could vary from 6.63 seconds to 7.34 seconds.
1 week would be like 1.66 seconds.
So you’re praying and you’re asking God, Will you be faithful to keep your word? Will you be faithful to stand by your promises?
And God is like, Absolutely.
Then you say, But God, it’s been 2 years!
And God says, 2 years? Really? That’s less than 3 minutes in Heaven.
For these early Christians to whom Peter was writing, he wants to remind them… it hasn’t been that long since Jesus ascended to Heaven. Some scholars think 2 Peter was written around 65 AD, if that’s true… and it’s probably close, then it’s only been 46 minutes since Jesus left planet earth on heaven’s clock!
Even now, you might be wondering, Why hasn’t Jesus returned? It’s been 2000 years! Exactly. It’s been 2 days. And by the way, there might be some good news there, because we know what happens on the 3rd day!
Whatever you’re going through, no matter how long you’ve been going through it, you can count on God’s timing. His timing might be different than your timing. You might be in a long period of waiting. But never forget, every moment of your waiting is MAGNIFIED in heaven, and every moment of your waiting is ONLY A MOMENT for our God who exists outside of time and sees everything all at once and has promised that He is watching over you. (Psalm 121)
Perhaps most of all, you can trust God because…
3 // God loves us, all of us.
“The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” – 2 Peter 3.9
God loves us, all of us. He doesn’t want anyone to perish. Our Father doesn’t want to lose any of his sons or daughters. He loves those of us who have received His love and have made that confession of faith that we believe Jesus is Lord, and today, if you are far from Him for any reason, He loves you, too!
God isn’t being slow about his promise. He’s being patient. We serve a great God with a great name and a kind heart who’s love is patient giving everyone time to come to know His great love revealed on the cross of Christ.
What promise of God are you holding onto today?
What’s the one prayer you’re praying over and over again?
If you could ask the God of the Universe to do one thing for you, what would it be?
Some of you are holding on to the promise that God will never leave you or forsake you.
Others of you are holding on to the promise that God is the Healer, the Great Physician.
Some are holding onto the promise that God will give you strength for every battle and always provide a way of escape for every temptation you face.
Still others are holding on to the promise that God is faithful to forgive and that His mercies are new every morning.
Maybe you’re holding on to the promise that God will be your refuge and strength.
Or perhaps you are holding on to the promise that if you ask for wisdom God will be faithful to give it.
Many are holding on to the promise that God is near to the brokenhearted.
You Can Count on God
Whatever promise you’re holding onto today, I want you to know that…
If you’re struggling to remain faithful to God, it’s because on some level you still doubt the faithfulness of God. You’re listening to the scoffers!
You can trust God to Keep His Word. His timing is perfect. His love is patient. Will you trust that He really is faithful?
“And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved.” – 2 Peter 3.14-15
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