GodReflection: Power Words

I imagine the word assurance sounds rather blah to the person on the street. It might even invoke a negative reaction. People are constantly told to rest assured what they hear is true—only to discover deception one more time.

Assurance is a word more readily found in the dictionary than in real life. I can’t place my weight upon this word unless I believe God’s story.

I find it took longer than it should for assurance to become real to me. There are shades of confidence in the word—yet confidence has tones of self-reliance. I cannot manufacture assurance. It depends totally upon the reliability of God.

New Testament Scripture uses this power word only three times. Timothy tells me that service to Jesus raises its awareness in my life. “Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.”

The author of the letter to Hebrew Christians mentions it twice. Its power comes from knowing that Jesus stands as God’s priest who presents me as sinless to Creator God.

. . . and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Then, the same writer ties assurance to faith. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Ok, here is what I think.

I live in a time when contracts are necessary to assure honest transactions and in a time when contracts need lawyers and courts to assure their validity.

The only true assurance is God. It comes from Him—not me. I have to believe God’s story otherwise assurance is powerless.

Scripture tells me God can’t lie.

Scripture tells me God never made a promise without keeping it. Scripture tells me God is faithful. Scripture shows me case after case when God acted precisely as He predicted.

I find assurance stands as a powerful sentinel standing watch over my faith—faith days both good and bad.

I think of a time on a back packing fishing trip into the Rocky Mountains. On the top of a mountain in the company of good friends, penetrated by a cool mountain breeze, with the river below, wild flowers, trees, and a pot of camp coffee on the fire, it couldn’t be any better than this.

God responds, “Rest assured it can. My promised to you is eternal life on a new earth with a new heaven. The mountains will be more spectacular than ever, you will be surrounded by good friends you knew on earth, the rivers, the wild flowers, the trees, the fish, the coffee, will all be beyond your wildest imagination.”

The power of God’s assurance keeps my body and soul moving toward eternity under the cover of Jesus blood. I can hardly wait to reclaim both body and soul on the other side of the grave.

Assurance—now that’s a power word.

Stay tuned.

Dr. Gary J. Sorrells – Reflecting on power words.

Gary@GodReflection.org