Not many people know that the phrase “and you can take that to the bank.” was made popular by Robert Blake in “Baretta.” And, if you did already know that, well, then you’re old.
That phrase is often used to place emphasis on the factual reliability of a statement or declaration about something. In our world of shifting morals, we find it necessary to add to statements so that people know that THIS time, we are really serious and definitely telling the truth. Kind of sad that we have to add emphasis to things we say in order for people to know that we really mean what we are saying.
Well, God never needs to say “you can take that to the bank,” but He certainly does give us comfort that He’s in control. God revealed to us, through Isaiah in the Bible, that we can trust His plans without question. Isaiah 55:11 says “11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”[1] Whatever God purposes will come to happen. He doesn’t make mistakes and He doesn’t get frustrated because His plan isn’t working out. He is in control and what He speaks, happens. We see this in Creation as Genesis records that God spoke the world into being. And, Paul reminds us in Romans 8:21, that God’s redemption plan for creation was to set it free through freedom in salvation for those who are in Christ. Psalms 136:16 affirms that God saw us and wrote our days down before we were even born. There are many Scriptures that point to the very fact that God is in control and we can rely on Him, without question.
For many, the idea that God is in control is a scary and confusing thought. We don’t like having to answer to a holy and just God. But, God is holy and just, because He is God. His plan is perfect, because it is His. He defines right and just and holy and true. His is our Creator who has knit us together. So, I ask, who better is there to rely on? God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit wants you to trust Him. He wants you to trust His redemption plan found in the gospel. God doesn’t need me to say it…but, “you can take it to the bank” that God is your Creator, He has provided a way for you to reunite with Him through the gospel. Trust it. Confess your sins and turn to Jesus Christ, today.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), Is 55:11.
