When God Proves Himself Faithful

by Nick Tuitasi - I failed School Certificate twice. I passed one subject the first year, and one more the second. It took me two years to pass two subjects, and I needed three. My parents had invested everything in me, the uniforms, the stationery lists, the school trips, and I had very little to show for it.

The Turning Point

Then on 2 January 1981, I was in the choir at church, counting the lights and the fans on the wall because I was bored. I was religious enough to sing and quote scripture, but I had no relationship with God. Somewhere in the song I prayed, "God, if you really are Lord, I'll give you until the end of the service to show yourself. If you don't, I'm never coming back." A warm feeling hit the back of my head and went down my spine, and suddenly I was weeping. It was one of those ugly cries that spoils the song, in front of my whole congregation. I went and hid in the vestry then when everyone’s eyes were closed, I left.

The next day the sky seemed bluer and the grass greener, and someone had rewritten the Bible, because I finally understood it. God had proven Himself to me. That's where trust starts. We need something solid to anchor it to, and for me that was John 3:16. The greatest Lover so loved the world that He gave the greatest gift. When you know your God did that for you, you can hold to Proverbs 3:5-6 and trust Him with all your heart, without leaning on your own understanding.

God’s Way Cuts Through Obstacles

Not long after, God gave me a word: "You take care of my work, and I'll take care of yours." I had no job and nothing lined up, so I walked down Queen Street Auckland, one Friday afternoon and wandered into the Auckland Central Police Station. I ended up sitting the police pre-entry exam that night and failed it by one mark. Then I failed the two-mile run by five seconds. Still, the phone rang. "There's been a miracle," the sergeant said. I was selected as a police cadet, one of 40 chosen from 4,000 applicants. There is the world's way, full of red tape, and then there's God's way, which cuts through all of it.

When Performance Fails

I wish I could say I always trusted like that. Years later, working with young offenders, I leaned on my own understanding and overstepped the mark. I broke the law and ended up facing three assault charges. I was about to lose my career, and I had to trust that God can fix things even when we botch them up. Because I told the truth, I was given another chance. God even reminded me of a scripture: "Not by power, nor by might, but by my Spirit."

It's easy to trust God when things are going well. The test comes when everything is about to be turned upside down. His faithfulness doesn't depend on our performance. It rests on His agape love, the kind that says, "Despite the fact you don't do these things for me, I still love you."

The Hard Work of Humility

That same faithfulness is at work in my marriage. After 36 years, my wife and I hit a rough patch. She suggested counselling and my pride said, "I can't go, I'm the man." Yet sitting in that counsellor’s room, listening to my wife, my heart started to bleed for her. God was doing open heart surgery on me. Our calling as men is protection, provision and guidance, and we can't do that well if we're too proud to listen.

Brothers, giving your heart to the Lord doesn't make you perfect, it makes you saved. Then begins the journey of sanctification, where God deals with the anger, the habits and the old wounds one at a time, when He knows we can handle it. So don't rush Him.

God is Waiting for Us to Contact Him

Think of those old phone landline days, when talking to your girlfriend each of you is waiting for the other to hang up first. That's how God waits on the line for us. He's asking, "Is anyone going to contact me?" So pick up. Talk to Him and then talk to your wife and your brothers. Humility opens the door, and He will be faithful to show you the way.

Blessings,
Nick Tuitasi