In the Hands of a Faithful God

I live on a farm, and every now and then my granddaughter and some of her coworkers will pop in for lunch. One day they stopped by, and after we finished eating, they wandered into the living room and somehow the conversation turned to Bible prophecy.

My husband and I lingered at the table for a few minutes before joining them. As I listened to their discussion, I asked, “Did you know that prophecy is history written in advance?”

All three of them looked at me and said they had never heard that before.

The conversation became so engaging that suddenly they realized they had stayed longer than they intended. Lunch break was over, and they needed to get back to work.

One of them sighed and said, “I don’t want to go back to work. I want to keep talking about this!”

That’s when I made a suggestion.

“How would you like to come down once a week? I’ll provide lunch—pizza—and we’ll spend the time talking about what the Bible says about things to come.”

Their answer was immediate.

“Yes!”

Their enthusiasm reminded me of something important: people are fascinated by the future. We all wonder what tomorrow holds.

Lately, much attention has been focused on Iran and the events unfolding in the Middle East. As believers, we watch world events with interest, but we also view them through the lens of Scripture. The prophet Ezekiel foretold a future invasion of Israel involving a coalition of nations that includes Persia—the ancient name for modern-day Iran (Ezekiel 38–39).

I cannot claim to know exactly when these events will occur. But I do know this: Iran’s story is not finished because God’s Word says there is more to come.

Why do I believe that?

Because God is faithful.

Throughout history, God has repeatedly demonstrated that when He makes a promise, He keeps it.

Consider Israel.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jerusalem was destroyed by Rome in A.D. 70, and the Jewish people were scattered throughout the nations of the world.

Humanly speaking, it seemed impossible that they would ever become a nation again.

Yet centuries earlier, God had promised through the prophet Ezekiel that Israel would be regathered. In Ezekiel 37, the nation is pictured as a valley of dry bones that come back to life. God declared that He would gather His people from among the nations and restore them to their land.

And that is exactly what happened.

In 1948, against all odds, the modern state of Israel was reborn.

God said it would happen.

And it happened.

The fulfillment of that promise reminds us that God’s plan for Israel is not complete. There is still much more to come.

But perhaps the greatest comfort is not what God’s faithfulness means for Israel—it is what God’s faithfulness means for us.

The same God who keeps His promises to nations keeps His promises to His children.

The Bible tells us:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

When we trust Christ as Savior, God makes promises that do not depend on our performance but on His faithfulness.

He promises the forgiveness of sins.

He promises eternal life.

He promises that His Holy Spirit will dwell within us as a guarantee of our future inheritance.

And because these promises rest on God’s character, they are absolutely secure.

1 John 1:9 says:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Did you catch that word?

Faithful.

God doesn’t forgive because we deserve it. He forgives because He is faithful to His promise and because Christ has already paid the penalty for our sin.

The same God who fulfilled His promises concerning Israel is the God who keeps His promises concerning your salvation.

If He can preserve a nation for thousands of years and bring it back together exactly as He said He would, then surely He can keep His promise to save, forgive, and secure those who place their trust in Christ.

As we watch the headlines and wonder what tomorrow may bring, we can rest in this unchanging truth:

The future is secure because it is in the hands of a faithful God.