So, God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. Hebrews 6:18-19a NLT
As we follow the example of Jesus when we face confusion, the foundational decision is to anchor ourselves in truth. God’s truth is real, lasting, dependable. When the United States Treasury Department trains agents to root out counterfeit currency, they don’t have them pore over various inauthentic bills to get familiar with the many ways deceit can happen. Their focus is on what is authentic. They immerse the agents in genuine bills, old, new, crisp, and tattered –but all the real deal. As the agents become more and more familiar with authentic United States currency, they are enabled to spot what is phony.
That’s how it is for Christ-followers. We don’t conquer confusion by pondering and researching all the phony and false ideas, studying the array of prevalent deceptions. We deal with confusion effectively by becoming deeply familiar and grounded in truth.
God has given us both His promise (a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing) and His oath (solemn vow with divine witnesses regarding one’s future action or behavior). His character makes these immutable – meaning unchangeable – not because they are against a law, but because they are literally unable to be changed by anyone or anything. Death is immutable. The laws of physics are immutable. No person or power can change them. That is the nature of God’s commitment to us. He cannot lie. His promise is 100% true forever.
Therefore, those of us who have come to Him in our confusion and challenges can have great confidence. We can hold on to the tremendous and certain hope that God is completely true and faithful. There is nothing He cannot and will not handle. In fact, no matter how dark the circumstances and how thick the fog of confusion seems to be right now, the evidence shows God does His best work in the dark. The biblical and historical record gives consistent record, beginning with the fact that when the entire universe was nothing but a dark void, God created light. Our Christian faith was birthed in the middle of the night in a dark and bleak stone-cold tomb. Into the blackness the Spirit of God breathed life into the dead lungs of Jesus Christ, and He came walking out, promising us we too will live again.
This truth of our faithful God is the anchor for our souls. It is our certainty. He has made an oath, and He keeps His promise.
- Remind yourself today of God’s specific Scriptures to you. Post a few in places where you will see them regularly.