For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
~ 1 Peter 3:17
Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
~ Psalm 31:5
And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
~ Luke 23:46
For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
~ 1 Peter 2:15
Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
~ Esther 4:16
Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
~ Isaiah 40:27-28
Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
~ Isaiah 54:16-17
This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.
~ Isaiah 43:21
The Saint’s Hiding Place in the Evil Day, by Richard Sibbes.
Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.—1 Peter 4:19
I am now to treat of that attribute of God, which should move us to trust in Him, namely, as He is a faithful Creator. Now God is faithful, 1) In His nature. He is I AM, always like Himself, immutable and unchangeable. 2) In His Word. He expresseth Himself as He is. The Word that comes from God is an expression of the faithfulness of His nature. 3) In His works. “Thou art good, and doest good,” as the psalmist saith (Psa 119:68). God being faithful in Himself, all must needs be so that proceeds from Him.
Whatsoever relation God takes upon Him, He is faithful therein. As He is a Creator, so He preserves and maintains His own work. As He is a Father, He is faithful in discharging that duty to the full for His children’s good. As He is our Friend, He likewise performs all the duties of that relation. And why doth God stoop so low to take these relations upon Him, but only to show that He will certainly accomplish the same to the utmost? Whence is it that men are faithful in their relations one towards another, that the father is faithful to his child? Is it not from God, the chief Father? That a friend should be faithful to his friend, is it not from God, the great Friend?
All His ways are mercy and truth. They are not only merciful and good and gracious, but mercy and truth itself. If He shows Himself to be a Father, He is a true Father, a true Friend, a true Creator and Protector…All other faithfulness is but a beam of that which is in God. Shall not He be most faithful that makes other things faithful?
Now, this faithfulness of God is here a ground of this duty of committing ourselves to Him. And we may well trust Him Whose Word hath been seven times tried in the fire (Psa 12:6). There is no dross in it. Every word of God is a sure word; His truth is a shield and buckler. We may well trust in it. Therefore, when you read of any singular promise in the New Testament, it is said, “This is a faithful saying,” etc. (1Ti 1:15). That is, this is such a speech as we may trust to; it is the speech of a faithful Creator. Considering, therefore, that God is so faithful every way in His promises and in His deeds, let us make special use of it. Treasure up all the promises we can of the forgiveness of sins, of protection and preservation, that He will never leave us, but be our God to death, etc., and then consider withal that He is faithful in performing the same. When we are affrighted by His majesty and His justice and other attributes, then think of His mercy and truth. He hath clothed Himself with faithfulness, as the psalmist saith. In all the unfaithfulness of men whom thou trustest, depend upon this, that God is still the same and will not deceive thee.
When we have man’s word, we have his sufficiency in mind, for men’s words are as themselves are. What will not the word of a king do? If a man be mighty and great, his word is answerable. This is the reason why we should make so much of the Word of God, because it is the Word of Jehovah, a mighty Creator, Who gives a being to all things, and can only be Lord and Master of His Word. We know God’s meaning in no other way than by His Word. Till we come to the knowledge of vision in heaven, we must be content with the knowledge of revelation in the Word.
And in every promise, single out that which (is most suitable to) thy present condition. If thou art in any great distress, think upon the almighty power of God. “Lord, Thou hast made me of nothing, and canst deliver me out of this estate. Behold, I fly unto Thee for succor.” If thou art in perplexity for want of direction and knowest not what to do, single out the attribute of God’s wisdom and desire Him to teach thee the way that thou shouldest go. If thou art wronged, fly to His justice and say, “O God, to Whom vengeance belongeth, hear and help Thy servant.” If thou be surprised with distrust and staggering, then go to His truth and faithfulness. Thou shalt always find in God something to support thy soul in the greatest extremity that can befall thee; for if there were not in God a fulness to supply every pressing need that we are in, He were not to be worshipped, He were not to be trusted.
Man is lighter than vanity in the balance (Psa 62:9). Every man is a liar; that is, he is false. We may be so, and yet be men too, but God is essentially true. He cannot deceive and be God too. Therefore ever, when thou art disappointed with men, retire to God and to His promises, and build upon this, that the Lord will not be wanting in anything that may do thee good. With men there is breach of covenant, nation with nation, and man with man. There is little trust to be had in any. But in all confusions here is comfort: a religious person may cast himself boldly into the arms of the Almighty, and go to Him in any distress, as to a faithful Creator that will not forsake him.
Oh, let us be ashamed that we should dishonor Him Who is ready to pawn His faithfulness and truth for us. If we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive them (1Jo 1:9). He will not suffer us to be tempted above that which we are able (1Co 10:13). When we perplex ourselves with doubts and fears whether He will make good His promise or not, we disable His Majesty. Do we not think God stands upon His truth and faithfulness? Undoubtedly He doth, and we cannot dishonor Him more than to distrust Him, especially in His evangelical promises. We make Him a liar and rob Him of that which He most glories in—His mercy and faithfulness—if we rest not securely upon Him.
See the baseness of man’s nature. God hath made all other things faithful that are so, and we can trust them, but are ever and anon questioning the truth of His promise…
Yea, let Satan, by his wicked instruments, draw a man to some cursed politic reasons—for the devil doth not immediately converse with the world, but in his instruments—and (a man) will sooner trust him than God Himself. So prone are our hearts to distrust the Almighty, to call His truth in question, and to trust the lies of our own hearts and other men’s before Him. Let us, therefore, lament our infidelity, that having such an omnipotent and faithful Creator to rely upon, yet we cannot bring our hearts to trust in Him.
There are two main pillars of a Christian’s faith: the power of God and the goodness of God. These two, like Aaron and Hur, hold up the arms of our prayers (Exo 17:12). Let our state be never so desperate, yet God is a Creator still. Let our sins and infirmities be never so great, yet He hath power to heal them. Oh, how should this cheer up our souls and support our drooping spirits in all our strivings and conflicts with sin and Satan, that we yield not to the least temptation, having such an almighty God to fly unto for succor.
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