7 Things the Bible Says You Can Know for Sure
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In this age of mis- and dis-information, I often hear myself saying, “I don’t know if this is true, but I read…” This applies to anything from diets to investments to political issues. However, there are some things I know to be true. Here are some encouraging facts we can affirm and live by.
1. I Know I Am Wonderfully Made
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:14, emphasis added).
Do you marvel over the awesome way your body works, or do you notice the parts you’d like to change? According to Psalm 139, we can trust God even with the parts that seem less than ideal (Ephes. 2:10).
My body doesn’t detox efficiently like most people’s. That means I’ve had to learn how to work with my God-given immunity. We’ve removed toxic home and body products that don’t seem to bother other people. I must ask my friends not to wear fragrances around me. How could this be good?
During COVID, my daughter remarked, “Mom, I think your weaknesses protected all of us.”
Ginny was right. Because I’ve spent a lot of time learning about health, we were already implementing good health practices. My weakness strengthened our family and had us connected to trustworthy sources of health information.
Do you have something you’d like to change about yourself? Read the psalmist’s declaration out loud. What does he know full well?
Let’s praise God for the wonderful way He created each of us. By faith we can echo the psalmist’s declaration even before we feel it.
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2. I Know Whom to Trust
“I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day” (2 Timothy 1:12, emphasis added).
Christianity is based on a relationship with a person, Jesus Christ. The object of our faith matters more than the strength of our faith. From prison Paul reminded his young disciple Timothy of God’s faithfulness. Instead of focusing on the injustice of his imprisonment, Paul was convinced God would carry him through and protect the spread of the Gospel despite this apparent setback.
Jesus, not our ideas of how things should be, is the object of unshakable faith. People and ideas fall short. But we can trust the One who saved us from our sin and called us to a holy life. He saved us, not because we deserved it, but to reveal His grace. A grace that never fails.
“For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed’” (Rom. 10:11).
No matter what prison we find ourselves in, like Paul, we can declare, “I know whom I have believed and am convinced that he is able.”
3. I Know My Redeemer Lives and Will Return
“I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth” (Job 19:25, emphasis added).
In dark hours of loss and disappointment, we may feel forgotten and forsaken. It’s natural to wonder, where is God? Was I wrong about Him? Job certainly wrestled with this. But he came to realize his redeemer lives.
- We don’t serve a dead Savior.
- Jesus conquered death when He rose on the third day (Hebrews 2:14-15).
- He lives to make intercession (pray) for us (Hebrews 7:25).
- He watches over us (Proverbs 15:3).
- He is our help and will never leave us (Hebrews 13:5-6).
- One day, He’ll return and set this upside-down world right-side up (Revelation 1:7).
Do you know this? When evil seems to triumph, declare out loud, “My redeemer lives, and He’s coming back!”
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4. I Know My God Is Greater Than Anyone and Anything
“I know the greatness of the Lord—that our Lord is greater than any other god” (Psalm 135:5, emphasis added).
Throughout time, cultures have looked to their gods for protection and provision. Modern gods include position, money, relationships, and power. The Lord sent ten plagues against Pharaoh and Egypt to show His people, the Hebrews, and the whole world that He alone is the Lord.
We may feel defeated when facing an overwhelming challenge such as a health crisis or rebellious child. No matter how big a devil you and I face, be it debt, death, disease, divorce, or destruction, we can know God is greater than our enemy. When we run to Him, we will find the strength and help we need (Psalm 91).
“He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him”
(Psalm 91:15).
5. I Know God Is Working for My Good
“We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28, emphasis added).
Not all things are good. Even things that are good may not be good by themselves. Eating a cup of butter or sugar by itself would be disgusting. But these ingredients are delicious when they are mixed in a cake.
God blends the bitter parts of our lives together for our eternal good. We can bring Him our disappointments, injustices, and even our regrets. Old Testament Joseph modeled this when he declared to his brothers who’d sold him into slavery:
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Genesis 50:20).
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6. I Know God Will Finish the Work He Began in His Children
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6, emphasis added).
Do you ever get frustrated with your progress as a believer? I seem to have to learn the same lesson over and over again. Or maybe you’re discouraged by the yoyo growth of someone you’ve invested in.
Whether we’re discouraged by our own stumbles or the backsliding of someone we love, believers can live with hope. God promises to complete the work He began in us the moment we believed in His Son. And He will!
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
7. I Know I Can Trust God with My Future
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11, emphasis added).
While we could list more “I know” statements, I conclude with a time when God says, “I know.” God knows the plans He has for you and me. And since He knows what those plans are, He can tell us about them. He plans to prosper us and not to harm us.
With so much confusion in the world, it’s time to stand on what we know. We know for sure that God is good. Though we don’t know the future, He does. We can trust Him with the unknown because we know Him, and His plans are good.
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