I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. (2 Cor. 11:9)
I have known several people who were not very reliable. They said they would be at a certain place at a certain time, and either they were late or they never showed up at all. Many of us—across generations, backgrounds, and cultures—have been told by a mechanic, “You can pick up your car on Thursday.” On Thursday we call to make sure the vehicle has been repaired, and we’re told, “Looks like it’s going to be Tuesday.”
The more we encounter unreliability in people, the greater our cynicism becomes. When our friend says, “I’ll take care of that,” we think, “Yeah, right,” and plan to complete the task ourselves. For the most part, however, people do have good intentions. They want to be reliable, but sometimes circumstances, forgetfulness, and other individuals foil even the best-laid plans. And, because we’ve been unreliable too (once or twice), we forgive and move on.
The one person we can count on every time to do what He says He’ll do is God. He shows himself faithful and reliable time and again both in the past and in the present. We see that God was faithful and provided what Paul needed to keep him from being a burden to the believers he was with. Paul trusted God’s reliability to provide for his needs without question because he had seen God’s proven word many times before. He knew what to expect, and then expected it.
Ask God how you should expect the expected from Him today.
Traver Paul Butcher, a PhD candidate in International Psychology, has a passion for helping individuals encounter God in cross-cultural experiences.
