Hebrew 6:17-19a: Can I Trust You?

God makes unique demands. There are areas of our lives that we fence off to the world, but God demands full access and full authority. Every follower of God is asked to take bolder steps. With each of those steps, we must confront, in a very personal way, the issue of trust. We ask "Is it worth the risk?" but, deeper still, we look to the heavens and query, "Can I trust you?"

The author of Hebrews takes this idea very seriously and will spend one of the most famous chapters in the Bible to cover it in depth. He summarizes this faith trust as "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Heb. 11:1). But he is not talking about a blind leap of faith, where rational thought is set aside and we plunge off the cliff like spiritual lemmings. Rather he is talking about a journey, where the destination is unknown but the guide is well known to us: Jesus, the author and pioneer of our faith.

Put your life completely in the hands of another. That is what God asks. How do you feel? Nervous? Exhilerated? Ambivalent? Your answer depends directly on how much you trust God. God wants us to be reassured both about his character and his power: "Anyone who trusts in him [God] will never be put to shame." (Rom. 10:11).


Why should we trusted God? The Bible shows God giving many reassurances, including his own track record through the Bible (cf. Rom 15:4) and his own words (cf. Matt. 17:5). In Hebrews, we see another:

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. - Hebrews 6:17-19a

Here God confronts a key problem: who can provide God with a good character reference? He could take an oath--make a promise--but to whom is he held accountable? He made a promise, not because it made him any more likely to do what he said he would, but so that we would be encouraged. He also did it so that all of our hopes and dreams, which we have placed in his care, would be secure.

Trust permits freedom. Freedom to take risks. Freedom to strike out in new directions. No need to guard your back, because God has yours. No need to manage impressions, because God's regard for you is determined by your relationship with his son Jesus. But most importantly, you can follow Jesus, whereever he leads and whatever he asks, because you trust that he has your best interests at heart, and symbolized forever in the scars in his hands and side.

What stretch of faith, inside or outside of church, is God asking you to take? Or are you still asking, "Can I trust you?"