Meditations on the Meaning of Christmasنموونە

A Perfect Track Record

Every parent knows that it’s only a matter of time before you break a promise to your child. You said you’d be home for dinner at a certain time, you promised to stop somewhere after a recital or practice, or you planned to read them a book or play with LEGO, but you got busy, something came up and you weren’t able to fulfill your promise. As you read these examples maybe you can relate. Anyone in any type of relationship has or will experience heartbreak when someone lets them down or doesn’t keep their word. 

Trust is a valuable commodity and we often find trustworthy people to be admirable. If you know one, you likely aspire to be more like them and you could probably list the reasons why you can trust them. Perhaps you count on them for many things. They make a promise and keep their word, or you tell them something and you know they won’t tell a soul. But trustworthy people don’t get that way overnight, they need time to prove themselves. For some, a strong track record or long history allows you to trust them quickly. For others, through little hiccups, they learn to prove their trustworthiness over time. 

In Hebrews 10, prior to the infamous chapter of noble and aspiring persons of faith throughout the Bible, the writer encourages believers by reminding them of this, 

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful…” (Hebrews 10:23, ESV)

The “he” this writer refers to is God. All throughout history we see God prove his faithfulness to his people by keeping his promises. As Paul writes to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “all the promises of God find their Yes in him.” Yet even though God proved his faithfulness to people like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and the others recorded in Hebrews 11, it was still hard for many to keep waiting for the hope that was promised to them. I often wonder how hard it would have been for those who hoped for a word from God during the 400 years of silence in between the Old and New Testaments. And yet, after years of waiting, the Hope of the world did come, just as he was promised. 

Knowing the character and track record of God helps us in our waiting and hoping because we know he is faithful. And if he is faithful, then he is “not slow to fulfill his promises, as some count slowness,” (2 Peter 3:9) but acts when the time is right in his perfect, sovereign plan. This season we remember when that promise came true on a cool, dark night, in Bethlehem, in a manger, and it was wrapped in swaddling clothes. He was God with Us. 

In light of the faithfulness of God, as believers in Jesus Christ, we are called to hope for the day when all his promises are fulfilled and completed for all eternity.     

Reflect

• How has God proven himself to be faithful to you in your life?
• Look for ways he will do this for you this advent season.