Keep Trusting Jesus!

It’s a phrase my pastor continually uses – he even signs off his texts with this helpful exhortation. It’s the phrase we’ve ended our digital kids programming with, reminding our kids that our faith in Christ is what keeps us going. And it’s a phrase I’ve had swirling around in my head as I’ve navigated, and helped friends navigate, a rather bewildering year.

Keep trusting Jesus? But why?

Keep trusting Jesus… because He is good and faithful

We continue to trust Jesus, and to turn to Him in times of trouble, because He is good and He is faithful. The author of Hebrews tells us as much: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) Christ’s character is steadfast, as is his love. In a world where love is conditional and fleeting, we turn to a God who is immoveable and unchanging, whose love is an unmerited, unending gift.

And Paul reminds us that God’s goodness towards us does not change with the tides: “if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13). We keep trusting Jesus because it is simply impossible for him to fail us. We may not see the end of the tunnel, and we may not understand how things will pan out, but we keep trusting Jesus because, thank goodness, He is in control and we are not.

Keep trusting Jesus… because the resurrection has happened and restoration is coming

In 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 we see Paul reminding the early church of their eternal hope, exhorting them to keep trusting Jesus: “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Likewise, in Revelation 21:5-7, John paints a picture of our Redeemer: “And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.  The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

We keep trusting Jesus because He is making all things new. Whatever our present circumstances, we know and are known by the one who is transforming us and our world into something glorious. Because of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross, we have been adopted into the family of God, rescued from death. And because of Christ’s resurrection, have the hope of eternal life. We keep trusting Jesus because the best is yet to come.

Keep trusting Jesus… because He is God.

Finally, we keep on trusting Jesus because He is God. He is not just a wise man or a good teacher – He is God, worthy of our worship and our trust.

In one of my favorite chapters of the Bible, John introduces us to Jesus in this way: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4)

We keep trusting Jesus because He is powerful, mighty, and worthy of our praise. He is our humble King, and in Him we find life, and life everlasting.

Though our present moment may seem especially tumultuous, the truth is that the world has always been a bit wild. Sin entered the world early on, and since that moment we have been walking around on this earth hurting each other and hurting ourselves, disregarding God’s rules and setting ourselves up as kings of our own lives.

So what do we do? How do we begin to tackle the problems in our lives and in the world around us?

We follow this simple exhortation – we look to the cross, we lay down our sins, and we keep trusting Jesus.