Trust in Jehovah—The God Who Is Real

Have you looked at the sky on a cloudless night and seen hundreds of stars? How do you account for their existence?

IN THE silence of the night, the stars spoke out to King David of ancient Israel, prompting him to write: “The heavens are declaring the glory of God; and of the work of his hands the expanse is telling.” (Psalm 19:1) Yes, the Creator rather than the creation is worthy “to receive the glory and the honor and the power.”—Revelation 4:11; Romans 1:25.

“He that constructed all things is God,” says the Bible. (Hebrews 3:4) Indeed, the true God, ‘whose name is Jehovah, is the Most High over all the earth.’ (Psalm 83:18) And he is not an illusion—a mirage. Jesus Christ said concerning his heavenly Father, Jehovah: “He that sent me is real.”—John 7:28.

Jehovah—The Fulfiller of His Purposes

God’s unique name, Jehovah, appears almost 7,000 times in the Hebrew Scriptures alone. That very name points to the fact that he is real. God’s name literally means “He Causes to Become.” Jehovah God thereby identifies himself as the Fulfiller of his purposes. When Moses asked God his name, Jehovah elaborated on its meaning in this way: “I shall prove to be what I shall prove to be.” (Exodus 3:14) Rotherham’s translation pointedly states: “I Will Become whatsoever I please.” Jehovah proves to be, or chooses to become, whatever is needed to make his righteous purposes and promises a reality. Thus, he bears an impressive array of titles, such as Creator, Father, Sovereign Lord, Shepherd, Jehovah of armies, Hearer of prayer, Judge, Grand Instructor, Repurchaser.—Judges 11:27; Psalm 23:1; 65:2; 73:28; 89:26; Isaiah 8:13; 30:20; 40:28; 41:14.

Only the true God can rightly bear the name Jehovah, for humans can never be sure that their plans will succeed. (James 4:13, 14) Jehovah alone can say: “Just as the pouring rain descends, and the snow, from the heavens and does not return to that place, unless it actually saturates the earth and makes it produce and sprout, and seed is actually given to the sower and bread to the eater, so my word that goes forth from my mouth will prove to be. It will not return to me without results, but it will certainly do that in which I have delighted, and it will have certain success in that for which I have sent it.”—Isaiah 55:10, 11.

Jehovah carries out his purpose with such certainty that even what may seem unreal to humans is real from his viewpoint. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, Jesus  mentioned them and said: “He [Jehovah] is a God, not of the dead, but of the living, for they are all living to him.” (Luke 20:37, 38) The three faithful patriarchs were dead, but God’s purpose to resurrect them was so sure to be fulfilled that to him they were as good as alive. Bringing these faithful servants of old back to life is no more difficult for Jehovah than it was to create the first man from the dust of the ground.—Genesis 2:7.

The apostle Paul provides another example of the fact that God causes what he purposes to be carried out. In the Scriptures, Abraham is called “a father of many nations.” (Romans 4:16, 17) While Abram was yet childless, Jehovah changed his name to Abraham, which means “Father of a Crowd (Multitude).” Jehovah caused the meaning of that name to become a reality by miraculously restoring the procreative powers of elderly Abraham and his aged wife, Sarah.—Hebrews 11:11, 12.

Invested with much power and authority, Jesus Christ spoke of realities from a higher point of view than that of humans. Although his close friend Lazarus had died, Jesus told his disciples: “Lazarus our friend has gone to rest, but I am journeying there to awaken him from sleep.” (John 11:11) Why did Jesus speak of a dead man as merely sleeping?

When Jesus reached Lazarus’ hometown of Bethany, he went to the tomb and directed that the stone closing its entrance be taken away. After praying aloud, he commanded: “Lazarus, come on out!” And with the eyes of the onlookers fixed on the tomb, “the man that had been dead came out with his feet and hands bound with wrappings, and his countenance was bound about with a cloth.” Jesus then said: “Loose him and let him go.” (John 11:43, 44) Jesus resurrected Lazarus—restoring life to a man who had been dead for four days! Christ did not misrepresent the truth when he said that his friend was sleeping. From the standpoint of Jehovah and Jesus, dead Lazarus was as though merely asleep. Yes, Jesus and his heavenly Father deal in realities.

Jehovah Can Turn Our Hopes Into Realities

What a contrast exists between deceptive idols and the real God! Idol worshipers wrongly attribute superhuman powers to their objects of veneration. No amount of reverence, though, can impart miraculous abilities to these idols. On the other hand, Jehovah God can rightly refer to his long-dead servants as though they were living, for he is able to give them life again. “Jehovah is in truth God,” and he never deceives his people.—Jeremiah 10:10.

How comforting it is to know that in Jehovah’s due time, the dead who are in his memory will be resurrected—restored to life! (Acts 24:15) Yes, resurrection involves a restoration of the life pattern of the individual. Remembering the life patterns of dead ones and resurrecting them is not a problem for the Creator, who is infinite in wisdom and power. (Job 12:13; Isaiah 40:26) Since Jehovah abounds in love, he will use his perfect memory  to bring the dead back to life on a paradise earth with the personality they had before they died.—1 John 4:8.

As the end of Satan’s world nears, the future certainly is bright for those trusting in the true God. (Proverbs 2:21, 22; Daniel 2:44; 1 John 5:19) The psalmist assures us: “Just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more; . . . but the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.” (Psalm 37:10, 11) Crime and violence will be things of the past. Justice will prevail, and economic hardships will be gone. (Psalm 37:6; 72:12, 13; Isaiah 65:21-23) All traces of social, racial, tribal, and ethnic discrimination will be erased. (Acts 10:34, 35) Wars and weapons of warfare will be no more. (Psalm 46:9) At that time “no resident will say: ‘I am sick.’” (Isaiah 33:24) Everyone will enjoy perfect and vibrant health. (Revelation 21:3, 4) Paradise on earth will soon become a reality. Jehovah has purposed it!

Yes, all Bible-based hopes are soon to be fulfilled. Why should we allow ourselves to be deceived by what is idolized in this world when we can place our full confidence in Jehovah? It is his will that “all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3, 4) Rather than committing our time and resources to the illusions, or mirages, of this system of things and its gods, let us grow in knowledge of the God who is real and trust in him with all our heart.—Proverbs 3:1-6; John 17:3.

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From the standpoint of Jehovah and Jesus, Lazarus was only asleep

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Paradise on earth will soon become a reality