“Because I Said So”: Learning to Trust God’s Promises

By Dean Collins

“Because I said so.”

Did your parent or some authority figure ever end a conversation with that line? I can remember the clear and authoritative tone when I heard these words: “because I said so.” I knew there was no further discussion or else there would be consequences! I should mention that I was also guilty of an inappropriate tone when I asked my parent, “Why do I have to…?” Usually, I asked the why question because whatever was being asked or demanded of me was inconvenient or seemed unfair.

I’ve come to the conclusion, after many years of observing human behavior, that we often project our issues and feelings about our parents onto God. My father was mostly absent in my life growing up. I now understand that I have projected that memory onto God and at times have feared that God wouldn’t be there when I needed him. By having godly advisors in my life, I have corrected that misconception and I am aware that sometimes it creeps into my thinking even now. But the good news is that our Heavenly Father is dependable and trustworthy in our good moments and in times of suffering.

In Genesis 15 we find Abraham wondering how God would fulfill his promises when, at a very old age, he still had no son. Yet God told Abraham not to fear. God was gently giving Abraham a “because I said so” answer. Genesis 15:6 gives us a wonderful reminder of how Abraham responded: “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” When we are in moments of fear, when we don’t understand how or when, our best response is to place our faith in the promises of God.

The disciples had a similar experience with Jesus. You know the story. It was getting late. Thousands had come to hear Jesus in a remote place and the twelve said to Jesus, "We better send everyone home for dinner." But Jesus said, "No, you feed them.” The disciples looked at Jesus with doubt because all they had was one boy's snack-sized meal. And then Jesus told the disciples to have the crowd sit down in groups of fifty.

I never noticed that before. I don't know how long it takes for twelve guys to organize 5,000 men plus their families into groups of fifty. They had no sound system, no megaphone, and a lot of hungry people. And if I was in the group I might have asked Jesus the why question: how are you going to do this, Lord? What good is it to set people in groups of fifty when we have nothing to feed them? Jesus didn’t say, “Because I said so,” yet the disciples figured out it was best to just trust Jesus to solve the problem. In faith the disciples obeyed, and Jesus responded by taking the five loaves and two fish and, looking into heaven, he broke the bread and blessed the crowd. The disciples then shared this divine feast with the crowd. Jesus not only provided what was needed, he provided more than enough.

That is the same thing God did with Abraham. When Abraham was questioning God about an heir, God took him outside and told him to look up toward heaven and count the number of stars. God was basically telling Abraham, “You are worried about a son and I am about to give you an abundance of sons — in fact, I am going to give you a whole nation and more.”

Years later David was tending his sheep, and in a moment of clarity that comes when we worship, he looked up to the heavens and declared, "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"

Some days I still doubt. Some days I still wonder if God will provide what is needed. The next time I question and ask, "But how?" I think I will go outside and look up to the heavens and listen. I suspect I can hear the clear and gentle answer to my question: "Because I said so”

Father, we confess that our lives are often filled with uncertainty and doubt about how we can make it through our current struggles. Grant us the faith of Abraham to believe your promises and to rest with assurance of your blessing. In Jesus name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Genesis 15:1-6; Luke 9:13-17; Psalms 8:1-6 ESV

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