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God Cannot Tell a Lie
In the months after my son’s death, I was caught in a quandary: I knew that holding on to God was the path forward, but I believed and I doubted and I actively disbelieved at the same time.
I believed in God. I believed he’s good. I believed he can heal people, solve problems, work miracles, and give us strength to go through difficult times.
I doubted I would ever heal from losing my son. I doubted my words could offer any real comfort to another grieving parent. I doubted that tomorrow would seem any more hopeful than today.
What changed this for me was the revelation that God cannot tell a lie. And if it is true, then even when it seems impossible, it must also be true that God can use everything for good.
That realization was a subtle bit of grace I wasn’t fully able to appreciate at the time. But I could feel its weight and somehow knew it was the rope I’d been looking for that would pull me out of the hole: all God’s promises are true, or none of them are. Said another way, if God cannot tell a lie, then all his promises are true. Even when it doesn’t feel like it. Even when you’re going through the hardest thing you can imagine.
During this time I found Psalm 34 incredibly comforting. Verse 18 says, “ If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath." (The Message). I could read those words, and even on the days when intellectually I wanted to shake my fist and declare my hatred for a God who would let my son die, in my spirit I knew the verse was true.
When the worst things happen, when your son dies or your doctor says it’s cancer, when your husband strays or the bank forecloses, Romans 12:11-12 seems ridiculous on its face: “Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder” (The Message). This is ludicrous when your life is falling apart, unless it is actually true.
Name a promise of God that you have always wanted to be true, even if you sometimes doubt it. How might the belief that God cannot lie affect your moments of doubt?
About this Plan
When shadows creep over our lives, it can be hard to see the light of faith that gives us hope. Neurosurgeon Lee Warren has faced the darkness many times in his professional and personal life. In this five-day devotional based on his memoir "I’ve Seen the End of You", Dr. Warren offers reassurance that God’s goodness is real, no matter what circumstances say.
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