TRUST ME
In my last series, I focused on the places where Jesus said, “I tell you the truth”. But in order to accept what Jesus said we need to trust that he knows what the truth is. Jesus said to Pilate, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me”, to where Pilate replied, “What is truth”. He wasn’t willing to trust that Jesus was it. Everyone trusts in something or someone. Ironically, in God we trust is written on our money yet I guarantee the majority of Americans trust money more than they trust God. Let’s take a look at the issue of trust.
1) Wavering trust.
Interestingly, the first place we see the word trust is in Exodus when God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt. As the Egyptians were chasing the Israelites they came to the Red Sea. Moses stretched out his staff and God parted the sea. The Israelites crossed on dry ground but when the Egyptians tried to cross the Lord swept them away as he closed the sea back up.
Witnessing this event changed the Israelites. Exodus 14:31, “And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.” For many people, the Lord does something extraordinary in their lives and then they put their trust in him.
However, as we will see, this trust can be short-lived when trouble comes again. When trust is based on witnessing something unexplainable it can be based on an emotional feeling-the wow factor. So when that event fades into the sunset and life sets in again, that trust has a tendency to dissipate; especially when a hardship strikes.
Ex. 16:1-5. Vs. 4-explain that they weren’t to keep any until morning but some did and it was full of maggots. They were instructed to get twice as much on the six day and rest on the Sabbath but some went out to collect anyway-lack of trust in what God had said.
The Israelites grumbled again a short time later when they arrived at Rephidim and there was no water to drink. So, God gave them water to drink when Moses struck the rock.
When the spies were sent out to assess the condition of the Promised Land, Joshua and Caleb brought back a good report but the other ten spies were afraid because the people there were big thus they convinced the rest of the Israelites that there was no way they could survive if they tried to take over the land of Canaan. Deut. 1:26-33. And because of this persistent mistrust they were not allowed to enter into the land the Lord was giving them; their children would inherit it instead.
True trust in God is not simply based in circumstance. It’s not something that comes and goes with each passing test. It’s one thing to trust God after the miracle happens but will we trust him before the miracle happens? The Israelites showed that their trust was not a solid one.
2) Trust me.
Prov. 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Lean not on your own understanding-in other words, ‘don’t trust yourself’.
Prov. 28:26, “He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.”
We lean on our own understanding in many ways-how to manage our finances, how to conduct our relationships, how to handle situations, things like that. But we also lean on our own understanding when it comes to God. Instead of looking to the bible for answers on who God is and what he wants from us we trust in our own understanding of God and what he wants from us.
Some think God wants nothing more from us except to try to be a good person. Therefore, some trust that at the end of it all they’re going to heaven because they were a good person; even though the bible doesn’t say that. So, what will we trust in-what the bible says or what we think? We shouldn’t trust in our own understanding when it comes to God, eternity or life in general for that matter.
But, in order to trust God I have to accept that I don’t have the answers; I have to accept that God knows better than I do. That means letting go-letting go of my pride, letting go of what I think is right, letting go of my way of doing things. Letting go and embracing the wisdom and knowledge of the one who knows and sees everything.
Don’t be like the tourist who came too close to the edge of the Grand Canyon. He lost his footing and plunged over the side, clawing and scratching to save himself. After he went out of sight and just before he fell into space, he encountered a bush which he desperately grabbed with both hands. Filled with terror, he called out toward heaven, "Is there anyone up there?" A calm, powerful voice came out of the sky, "Yes, there is." The tourist pleaded, "Can you help me?” The calm voice replied, "Yes, I can. What is your problem?" "I fell over the cliff and I’m dangling holding to a bush that is about to give way. Please help me." "The voice from above said, "Do you believe I can help you?" "Yes, yes, I believe."’ "Do you trust me?" "Yes, yes." The calm voice said, "Well then, I want you to simply let go of the bush and everything will turn out fine." There was a tense pause, then the tourist yelled, "Is there anyone else up there?" Let go and trust God.
3) Trusting God brings peace, joy and hope.
Trusting God and not leaning on your own understanding can be scary. It puts me in a vulnerable position. I’m allowing myself to be at the mercy of how God wants me to do things. But here’s the irony-as much as I think trusting in God is scary-it’s actually something that brings peace. Isa. 26:3-4, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.”
When there’s no trust in God there is turmoil in our hearts and minds. Circumstances cause us to worry, fear and doubt. But when we can place our trust in God’s provision and protection we can be at peace no matter what is going on around us. When our minds are steadfast, which means firm and unwavering, when our eyes are fixed on Jesus then we will see how small our problems are compared to how big God is. God is the secure rock we can cling to in the midst of the storm. He is our refuge in times of trouble. He is our stronghold; he is our shelter.
Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Have you ever felt hopeless? You’ve lost hope that things will ever get better? What you’ve trusted in has let you down. God is the God of hope. When we trust in him we will be filled with joy, peace and hope. And that hope will overflow into the lives of others who need to see from us that there is hope; that God can be trusted to provide that joy, peace and hope.
But when we don’t trust God, that’s when things go south. That’s when we lose hope, that’s when we lose joy, that’s when we lose peace. Trusting in God can seem scary, but it’s nowhere near as scary as not trusting in him.
Because remember-if we’re not trusting in God we’re trusting in something else-and that’s not going to turn out very well. Job 8:11-15, “Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without water? While still growing and uncut, they wither more quickly than grass. Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless. What he trusts in is fragile; what he relies on is a spider’s web. He leans on his web, but it gives way; he clings to it, but it does not hold.”
Everyone trusts in something. Money, people, power, themselves. But no matter what you put your trust in, if it’s anything other than the Lord it will fail. Psalm 20:6-8, “Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.” Trust in God-you will survive; you will rise and stand firm. Trust in anything else-you will crash and burn.
4) Trusting God brings freedom.
Trusting God with my life involves multiple things; there are many aspects to my everyday life. I have kids to take care of, bills to pay; necessities to provide for. I have financial concerns, health concerns; security concerns. There are decisions to make and I like to be in control of making those decisions. I want to go the direction I want, not place my trust in God to make those decisions for me. What if I don’t like what he decides? What if his will clashes with mine? Can I really trust him to run my life? Can I really trust that he has my best in mind? Yes, He can be trusted with running my life.
The irony is people think allowing God to run my life is constricting and debilitating when actually it’s freeing. I don’t have to have all the answers; I don’t have to figure everything out. Now, God’s not going to do everything for me but if I allow him to; if I trust him to, he will show me what to do and where to go.
And he will not force me to go his way but will allow me the free will to choose wisdom or foolishness (his way or mine). I don’t have to worry; I don’t have to fear because I know God loves me.
How do I know? He has proven his love for me by sending his Son to die for me. What greater expression of love could one make than the giving up of his only child so that I could live and be free? Yes, I can place my life in his care.
“A young lady was speaking to an evangelist about consecration. She said, “I dare not give myself wholly to the Lord, because He might send me out to China as a missionary.” The evangelist said, ‘If some cold, snowy morning a little bird should come, half-frozen, pecking at your window, seeking shelter, and would let you take it and feed it, thereby putting itself entirely in your power, what would you do? Would you grip it in your hand and crush it? Or would you give it shelter, warmth, food and care?” A new light came into the girl’s eyes. She said, Oh, I see now. I can trust God.” Two years later she met the same evangelist and reminded him of their conversation. She told him she had completely given herself to God. And then her face lit up with a bright smile. “And guess where He’s sending me?” she asked—“to China!”
She had to understand that there was nothing to fear in putting herself in God’s hands because god loved her and will care for her and provide for her. When we are convinced of this we will willingly and wholeheartedly give ourselves over to Him.
However, if we say we trust God then he will put our words to the test. When she put her life in God’s hands he tested that trust by sending her to China, the very place she was concerned about having to go. But I guarantee she had a much different attitude about if after she placed her trust in God and understood his love for her. I need to trust God with all my heart; I need to acknowledge him in all my ways-that means I need to give him all of me. And in doing so, I will not be restricted-I will be free.
5) But wait, I have some questions. How can we know we can trust in God or his word?
God has proven himself over and over in the lives of people. He has revealed himself to people in distinct and unexplainable ways.
No one has ever been able to prove the bible is false. In fact, many who have spent their time trying to have become its biggest advocates because they realized it couldn’t be done.
Ancient texts have been discovered like the Dead Sea scrolls that have authenticated that what we have today has not been altered from the original.
With other religions you are trusting what came from one man whether it be Mohammed or Joseph Smith or the Buddha or Charles Taze Russell, etc. but that’s not the case with the bible. 40 different authors spanning over two thousand years, different cultures, three different languages yet no contradictions or variations prove it’s not the word of man but the word of God. We can trust in the bible as God’s only authoritative truth.
But how can I trust that God is good when he allows so much evil to take place? How can I trust that God loves me when he has allowed such terrible things to happen to me?
Free will-it’s a blessing as well as a curse. In love God has to allow it because he wants people to choose to obey him; not be forced to. However, with the ability to choose comes the ability to do evil and inflict harm. But I guarantee that God does everything short of forcing people to try to get them to not go through with their evil intentions.
And I also guarantee that it pains God to see his creation suffer harm. The fact that he doesn’t stop it doesn’t mean there’s an absence of love.
This is where we need to put Prov. 3:5 into action and not lean on our own understanding. We can see only a limited view of things. We can understand only partially what’s going on. In our pride we think we have all the answers; we think we could do a better job running the world but the reality is that God knows what he’s doing; he sees the big picture and he can be trusted.
CONCLUSION: Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus; Just to trust Him at His word. Just to rest upon His promise; Just to know Thus Saith the Lord. Jesus, Jesus, How I trust Him; How I’ve proved Him O’er and O’er. Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus; O for grace to trust Him more. I’m so glad I’ve learned to trust Him; Precious Jesus, Savior Friend. For I know that Thou art with me; And will go with me, till the end.
