For so long, I’ve struggled with believing God’s promises. My experiences often seemed to outweigh what I read in the Word. My heart believed that either the Word, or God himself, had let me down on more than one occasion.

But then someone asked me, “Is God who He says He is?”

I paused to wonder. He either is or He isn’t.

What do I really believe about Him? He can’t be telling the truth and lying simultaneously. So, the idea of who God is comes at me, messing with me. I ponder what I am putting my hope in. What (or Who) I am going to trust. My life seems too flimsy to rely upon, and yet what else is there but the empirical?

In the end, my doubts and fears led me to the conclusion that I have no choice. I’ve read enough apologetic accounts about creation and the crucifixion to believe that He and Jesus are real (Thanks, Lee Strobel!). The more important question I need to ask is, “If not God, where else can I go?” (See John 6:68.)

Even if I don’t always sense Him, where else will I find someone who loves me, who daily walks with me, tries to guide me, protects me, and has purchased a beautiful eternity for me?

The Bible definitively defines who God is. If I choose Him, I must choose the Bible too. And here is what the Bible says:

Isaiah 40:6-8, “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”

Since the Bible explains His character one way, and my experience of Him pulled me another, I can only conclude that something interfered with my experience. I either misunderstood Him or the Enemy of my soul tampered with what God wanted to bring about. People wither and fall. But the Word, the Bible, stands forever.

I have come to the place where I have to choose what I believe. God either is who He says He is, or He is not. Lover of my soul or liar. He is either for me, or against me. He loves me, or He doesn’t. He keeps his promises, or He breaks them. All good, or all bad, because even a bit bad means He is not good.

My hope can’t be tied to what I encounter; this just isn’t always reliable. My hope has to be in God and what His Word says about Him.

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This post was written by a group of volunteer writers who strive to share God's truth through an online platform, but may not reflect the views of The Vineyard Church as a whole. To learn how you can get involved, email us at .

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