February 28

A Faithful Creator

So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should entrust their souls to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. — 1 Pet 4:19 BSB

The more we ponder these words, the more wonderful they appear! God’s faithfulness is as evident as the noonday sun. He is faithful in the changing seasons and the orderly orbit of the stars; faithful in holding back the flood so it doesn’t overflow and destroy the homes of men; faithful to every living creature, providing exactly what is needed. Even the odd sparrow, which Christ likely saw thrown in by the dealer when His mother bought four others, does not fall to the ground without His notice. God is the Faithful Creator in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. It is no surprise that His faithfulness is a central theme of Scripture. But why does Peter emphasize God’s faithfulness as Creator when addressing the special suffering of believers?

Perhaps it is because we tend to focus on the Incarnation, Cross, Resurrection, and Intercession of our Lord, and forget that behind all these lies the deep, unchanging faithfulness of God—the Creator of all things. We are invited to go beyond the story of Redemption, back into the silence of Eternity, where each of us was a distinct thought in the mind of God. All our days were written in His book before any of them came to be.

We may not always understand God’s eternal purpose for our lives, but we have the right to look into His face and say, “Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn Your commandments.” We should not question God’s dealings with us, for His wisdom is perfect. But we can humbly ask Him to make up for our deficiencies, so that though we may be sorrowful, we will always rejoice; though poor, we will make many rich; though having nothing, we will live as those possessing all things. There is no reason why our lives should be failures, no reason why we should not richly minister to others, no reason why, by His grace, we should not be more than conquerors. We may humbly make this claim on our Almighty Creator, and He will not allow His faithfulness to fail.

Prayer

Help us to commit ourselves to You in doing good, O God, our Faithful Creator. May we find comfort for our own griefs and disappointments by serving others. Amen.