In the previous message we took a look at the fact that God is willing and how He demonstrates that willingness in the form of His word (what He's declared regarding us and the priority He places on His word), and also in His love towards us. So we know God is willing because He says so and we know He's willing because we've come to trust in His love towards us, the latter is what we'll be focusing on for today's message.
1 John 3:18
My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
In the above verse we are instructed to love, not only by our words, but by our actions as well (another example of this is found in James 2:14-16). Now God would not ask us to do this if He was not prepared to do so Himself. This means that God's love for us is not just in word alone but also in deed and in truth. An example of this is found in the below verse.
I John 4:8-10, "But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love-not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other."
Here we see that God's promise resulted in corresponding action (see also John 3:16). It wasn't just based on a promise made by words, those words became a reality (John 1:1,14). Those words were backed up. This action on the part of God (of loving in word and deed) wasn't just a once off event. God's word/promises has manifested itself in the lives of countless amounts of people throughout history and continues to do so today! Through a relationship with Him, people have experienced His mercy, grace, peace, freedom, healing, forgiveness, patience, faithfulness, care and love. They've received purpose, vision, direction, wisdom, fulfillment and many other blessings. This demonstration of God's word manifesting itself in the lives of people takes place on a daily basis!
This continuous demonstration of integrity and reliance should build trust.
If we consider a relationship with another human, we say that trust is developed over time and that it is earned. That it can consist of confiding in someone and trusting that they won't tell others. It's leaving things in their care, entrusting them with that responsibility. It's counting on others. It involves being reliable or dependable. It's built on character traits like integrity, honesty and transparency. It's developed by people delivering on what they said they would do ... Likewise, has God not earned our trust by displaying the same characteristics and by His continuous demonstration of loving us in word and deed?
Most of what is described above comes through the development of a relationship with that person, if we trust someone because they deliver on what they promise and trust them because we've come to know their commitment towards us, then the same applies with us and God.
So to answer the question about whether we can trust God's love, the obvious answer is yes, but the quality or depth of that trust is different for different people because in order to grow that trust, hope, expectation, confidence - faith - in God, we need to grow and develop our relationship with Him - and this is not a once off event or act. It takes time and development, just like a normal relationship, and we need to nurture and care for that relationship, we need to cherish it, respect and honour it, prioritize it, etc. because God's done everything He's needed to do from His end of the relationship, it's up to us to come to Him (James 4:8, John 15:4-6, John 17:22-23, Philippians 3:7-8, Revelation 3:20), and as we grow, as we abide (in union and fellowship with Him), as we come to know (through personal experience) and believe in His love for us, we'll be in a place where perfect love casts out fear (see 1 John 4:17-18), and where we can also confidently declare the below:
Psalm 56:3
When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.
Psalm 13:5
But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.
Other scriptures include the following: (2 Sam 7:28, Psalm 56:3, Psalm 84:12, Psalm 31:14, Psalm 9:10, Isaiah 12:2, Isaiah 26:3, Proverbs 3:5-6, Jeremiah 17:7-8)
God wants us to know that we can trust in Him, that we can rely upon Him, that He's dependable, that we can come to Him in prayer, seeking Him, having the hope, confidence, expectation and faith to know that He will do as He has promised and that we can trust in His love towards us...knowing this, makes approaching God in faith much easier...and we know this, through the quality of our relationship with Him.
Amen