On this earth, the Son was all about his Father. When the religious misrepresented God, Jesus was angered because He wanted everyone to know the real Father. Of course Jesus knew that if a person does not see Him for who He is, that person cannot know God. “You do not know me or my Father… If you knew me, you would know my Father also… If God were your Father, you would love me… He who belongs to God hears what God says… Though you do not know him, I know him.” (see John 8) Jesus knew God and that made all the difference.
So what does Jesus want for those who do believe in Him? “Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:22) “Trust in God; trust also in me.” (John 14:1) Jesus knows He is the way to God and He wants all who put their faith in Him to know beyond any shadow of a doubt how kind, how loving, how wise, and how powerful his Father is. “If my Father feeds the birds, will He not feed you? Why do you worry? You can trust my Father!”
Of course Satan proclaims the opposite message. “Look what is happening in the world… you can’t trust God! What about all those who have died for following Jesus? How can a ‘good’ God allow that? No, anyone is a fool who really believes everything Jesus said.”
So who do I listen to? The enemy uses my circumstances, my surroundings, and my logic to ‘talk’ me out of faith. Satan uses many ‘smart’ people (even some who claim to know God) to produce fear and doubt. His strategies are crafty and his lies often go undetected.
But Jesus tells the truth. He was tempted in every way that we are on this earth, yet He walked as a child who knew, loved, and trusted his Father. No matter the circumstances, surroundings, or arguments, Jesus says: “My Father can be trusted.”
Alex is a teenager who has lived most of his life in a broken home. His parents have joint custody so Alex travels back and forth between his father and mother. He has grown accustomed to broken promises and has concluded that grownups cannot be trusted. In junior high, this young man became friends with another boy from a different home environment where love, stability, and accountability are the norm. When this friend invited Alex to go camping one weekend, there was a lot of skepticism. “I’ll believe it when it happens,” he said. The friend gave a simple reply: “You just don’t know my dad. If he says it will happen, you can go ahead and pack your bags.”
Let’s believe what Jesus says about his Father.
“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:22-24