“Of all my house, Moses is the one I trust.” Numbers 12:7 (That’s God speaking.)
Trustworthy: Truthful, dependable, ethical, faithful and authentic. All these words combine to describe what a trustworthy person is like.
Most of us spend a lot of time trying to figure out whether God is trustworthy. When we face uncertain times, we wonder where God is; when prayers go unanswered, we question if He’s listening, if He cares.
But today’s verse changes the game appreciably. Perhaps the important question isn’t whether we can trust God… Maybe for those of us who want to live a life that is saturated in Jesus, a better question is: Can God trust any of us? Can God trust you? Can God trust me?
Of course, this is not a question God is trying to figure out. He already knows the answer. Yet, according to Jesus, our relationship with God depends a lot on whether God can trust us. The character representing God in His Parable of the talents says, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful (trustworthy) over a few things; I will make You ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” (Matt 25:21)
The irony of all this, is that the way in which we become trustworthy to God is by trusting Him… that’s one of the key points of the parable. Unconditional trust in God is the only way we can become people who God can trust. Because it is only if all that we have—all that we are—has been relinquished into God’s hands that anyone can be trusted with those things.
The most important thing God has given us to be trustworthy with is His life in us. What are we becoming because of the presence of God in our lives? What transformation does the Holy Spirit indwelling you and me make? This isn’t a question of if we keep the rules or perform the disciplines flawlessly… it’s much more foundational: Who are we? What’s going on at a heart level?
What was going on in Jesus as He lived on earth was that He was doing what His Father was doing and saying what His Father was saying (Jn 5:19, 8:28, 12:49). And we’re being changed into His likeness. We are being “changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor 3:18).
You might wonder what being trustworthy and wisdom have to do with each other. More on that next time…