When the going gets tough, the tough lean on our trustworthy God

The Old Testament section of the Bible is one generally overlooked in favour of the New. What we need to realise is that without the old, there would not be a new. The Old Testament is the story of God creating the world and us, us rebelling, and God outlining His great plan to bring us back to Him.

The first book of the Bible, Genesis, not only deals with creation and rebellion. It also sows the seed of redemption. In Genesis 12 and 15, God makes three promises to a man named Abram, later called Abraham, which can be encompassed in these three words. Land, People, and Blessing. In short, to reverse the effects of the Fall in Genesis 3, where humanity was cast out of God's Land, no longer His people and no longer under His blessing, God promises to create a people for Himself through Abraham, a people He will gather together in one land, and that people will be under God's blessing, in short, living with Him as God as we should, no longer tainted by sin. Those of you who have read Revelation 21 (you should, it's ace!) will see how this plan of God's will be finally realised in the New Creation, our only way in through Jesus' death on the cross. This is the Kingdom of God: God's people, living in God's land, under God's blessing.
None of this is achieved by our works, or because God owes us. No, it is so the world can see He is God and give Him the praise He deserves. We ultimately benefit, but are not the primary influence.
And it starts right there in Genesis 12.


What is your first reaction to something going wrong? Little or big, what do you do? Me? Well I generally stress out, walk around like a headless chicken and it takes a while, or indeed another person, before I can finally take a deep breath and begin to find some perspective. Sound familiar?

University is not an easy ride, far from it. All sorts of things go wrong, whether your a Christian or not: deadlines get shortened, important seminars/lectures are missed, living bills are mixed up with expensive consequences, friends fall out, I could go on. And they are some of the little things!

God is a sovereign God. We see this in the beginning of Exodus, as God's people cry out in slavery in Egypt, God faithfully promises that He will rescue His people from their slavery, and bring them into a land He has promised for them. He does so, giving His people a way out from His judgement on Egypt by the blood of a lamb (this is where passover comes from). They are spared from God's wrath by God's grace working in the blood of the lamb. Sound familiar??

The Old Testament points forward to the New. God's fallen people who cannot save themselves are given a way out by God in the blood of Jesus, so that we can be His people, living in His land, the New Creation, under God's blessing, with God as God, no sin nor pain nor crying anymore.

What do we need to do? Well, we cannot save ourselves, but what we can do, is trust in what God has done for us in Jesus, put to death our sinful desires and stand up and live for Him, no matter what the cost (see Mark 8:27-38).

We need to trust in God, who has done all this for us, and is completely in control, always. Life will be full of little and big challenges, and to be fair, our humanity often overtakes us and we fly into despair. What we need to try and do is keep our eternity goggles on, kepp in mind the promises of God, the wonders of God, and the future with God. Hard? Yes. Do-able? Yes.

So when the going gets tough, don't lean completely on your friends, (they are also struggling), and don't put your trust in things of this world (they won't last forever, and it keeps you from thinking eternally). Trust in God, for He has proved Himself trustworthy since before we were created. Don't stumble, lean on the God who loves you.