Nancy Hughes: A man of his word

“For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in
all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.”
Psalm 33:4-5 (NIV)

It was the perfect fishing boat, at least according to my husband. Right size, right make and, most importantly, right price. We had stopped at a garage sale and he had spotted it immediately.

He eagerly looked it over as the owner of this “perfect” boat walked over to tell him how many fish he had caught out of it. I could see “sold” on my husband’s face. There was only one minor problem: we had not brought cash with us.

But we lived just a few blocks away. Would he allow us to drive home immediately, get the cash and bring it back? “Absolutely,” we were told. “That’s not a problem at all.”

And then my husband did what he always did when decisions were made: he shook the man’s hand. “We will be back in 20 minutes with the cash,” he told the owner. “It will be here,” was the reply.

We hurried home and raided the cookie jar of the price of the boat and arrived back in less than 20 minutes to pay for our purchase. But as we pulled up, we didn’t see the boat. The owner met us at our car. “Somebody else came right after you left and wanted the boat and had cash. I didn’t know if you would be back or not. Sorry.”

My husband was stunned. “But we shook hands. I gave you my promise with that handshake.” The man shrugged and walked off.

A man’s word and a handshake used to be considered as important and dependable as a solemn pledge but that does not seem to be true today. How thankful I am for the eternal truth in Psalm 33:4-5.

God’s Word is as true today as it was in the Old Testament days. He has never – and will never – say one thing to us and then do something totally different. Not only is His Word true but it IS truth.

So if Psalm 33 is true – and it is – that means that when we read in Matthew 28:6 that Jesus has risen “just as He said,” we can believe it! When God says in Jeremiah 31 that He forgives us and forgets our sin, we can know that He is speaking truth.

I encourage you today as you read God’s promises in the Bible to thank Him for what He has done and what He is going to do in your life. And while you are at it, thank Him for being a Man of His Word.

Thank you Father for speaking truth into my life and for showing me in your Word that you are faithful in all things. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

Have you ever settled something and shaken hands on it, only to have the other person back out and change their mind?

What was your reaction when you realized that they were not truthful when they made that handshake?

Apply

Journal a promise each day that God has made to you as His child.

Beside each promise, journal how that truth impacts your life as a Christian.

Power

Psalm 33:4-5 (NIV) “For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.”

Leviticus 26:9 (NIV) “. . . I will keep my covenant with you.”

Matthew 28:6 (NIV) “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.”

(For more of Nancy Hughes' writing, check out her blog, Encouragement from the War Room.)