Who can be trusted?

Seeing a miracle can produce faith, but perhaps only a ‘faith’ of sorts, one that is temporary. As soon as the miracles stop, those who claimed they believed are no longer interested.

“Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:23–25)

These few verses are sad because this is the way humans often respond to an act of God that pleases them. However, Jesus knows that when the signs cease coming, most people wander off looking for something else that will make them happy.

On the other hand, these verses are an encouragement. They tell me that it is wise to leave the discernment of hearts to God. He alone knows what people are thinking. If I make assumptions and those assumptions are in error, I will be disappointed when I discover my error.

For a long time, my naïve self found trust easier than try to figure out if a person was being deceptive. In a Pollyanna sort of way, I was setting myself up for heartbreak, but didn’t realize it. My parents and siblings were trustworthy, so why not everyone else? I didn’t want to think the worst of anyone, but it wasn’t long before the disappointments started coming.

Chambers affirms that my refusal to be disillusioned is a cause of much suffering in life. Eventually it begins to demand perfection which obviously cannot be given. If I believed God, I’d be more on track for His Word exposes the heart condition of everyone: we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. God alone is perfect. Not only can I trust Him totally, He alone “can satisfy the last aching abyss of the human heart.”

Chambers also considers God severe regarding human relationships “because He knows that every relationship not based on loyalty to Himself will end in disaster.” He trusted no man in the sense of being oblivious to our great flaw; we are selfish, even when we are ‘religious’ and trying to be godly. At the same time, He was not bitter about our failure . . . 

“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

God also knows His own heart. He does not give up on sinners because He knows He can transform those He loves into the image of Jesus Christ. His heart and His power can change lives.

My mistake was thinking I can do the same thing, but when I tried it, it became the second most frustrating discovery. The first was finding out that no one measures up, not anyone, especially not me — and none of us can hide that reality from our all-seeing, all-knowing God.