Faithful Like Netflix

  The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. Psalm 111:7-8

 

What kind of a deal do Netflix and Amazon.com have with the US Post Office? Netflix turnover of movies from the time they go out from my mailbox until the next one is in my mailbox is amazing. Amazon, too, has consistently gotten my orders processed and in the mail so that I receive their packages in two days – ever since I became a “Prime” member.

In our new home the mail does not come until about 6 PM. Even though that seems late for a pickup of movies we’re returning, when I turn on my computer the following morning before 8 AM there is almost always an email saying they have received the movie. It just left my house at 6 PM the night before! How they do it doesn’t really matter to me (although I am curious), the fact that they can so consistently do it seems amazing.

Right after we moved to the new house I ordered towels to go in the new bathroom (what fun after 33 years of marriage to have a good excuse to buy new towels!). I ordered them from Amazon.com on Monday and had them on Wednesday.

I have come to trust these two companies to do what they say will do. They are faithful to keep their promises. There are people in these companies who understand what makes people happy, what keeps them coming back to use their products. Reliability builds trust. Trust builds allegiance.

It is this way with God – only better. When we are paying attention we will see how consistently He blesses us. Even in a set of very difficult circumstances we can see blessings – if we are looking. Sometimes they are in the form of a person He sends to us to give wise counsel, other times it is material help, or a reprieve so we can get recharged for the battle we are fighting.

As I look back over the years God has provided for us when we thought things were going to tank financially or He offered more light on a situation so we could make a good decision. He has been faithful. Through these times He has built our confidence and trust in Him. Every time we see His faithfulness we are more able to trust Him with the next set of circumstances.

Faithfulness is one of God’s attributes that people find difficult. It is why Netflix and Amazon seem great – we aren’t used to anyone being faithful, we expect to be disappointed, and even lied to. How refreshing to find 2 companies that want to do it right. They certainly can’t get it right 100% of the time, but they try and I find that commendable. (No, they haven’t paid me to say these things.)

Trustworthy and faithful. Netflix and Amazon could not care less about those being attributes of God (although the people in their marketing departments, having been created in the image of God, must have those desires implanted somewhere deep within, they want business, and repeat business. These are attributes that keep people coming back.

So many people today question the truth of the attributes of God in their own lives. They see the hard stuff but fail to see God’s mercy and His blessings even in the midst of bad times. As we look back at examples in the Bible (Noah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and David), these people had very hard lives with tragic circumstances for some and just plain hard for others. God was with them, God sustained them. He was trustworthy and faithful. He has never changed.

Are you and I trustworthy and faithful? Read the stories of these men. God did not protect them from every evil that could have happened to them, but He saw them through what came their way – and He will see us through.

We are taught that God is trustworthy and faithful, but do we trust Him that He will be so for us?  Do we trust Him more than Netflix?