The Psalmist says in Psalm 91:2, “I will say to the LORD, "You are my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust."” (GW)
For those of us who were born and brought up in Christian homes, Psalm 91 is a familiar one, which many of us may have read or even memorized as a child. Nonetheless, in this study we will explore as to what it means to trust in God as the Psalmist declared about God in the above mentioned verse.
We will truly trust a person only when we get to know him or her. It is the same with God, we can trust Him only when we know who He is, and only when we are able to comprehend His divine attributes. When Jesus lived here on earth he chose twelve men to be His disciples. A closer look at their lives will help us understand why they decided to follow Jesus.
1. Peter, the fisherman
Peter was a fisherman by profession, but the day he met Jesus who filled his empty nets with a miraculous and bountiful catch, Peter chose to follow Jesus immediately without any hesitation. The reason Peter gave up his livelihood which included his boat and nets to follow after Jesus, was because Peter trusted Jesus. Peter believed that if he made Jesus his Master, He would take care of him, and provide him with all that he ever needed.
2. Matthew, the tax collector
Matthew who was another disciple, was a tax collector for the Roman government. Matthew always sought to align himself with the powerful and when he heard the call of Jesus, he understood that Jesus was much greater than the Roman Government that he was working for. So at the call of Jesus, he too left everything as it was, and followed after Jesus.
Every disciple of Jesus who followed Him did so because they trusted Him, and as a result heeded His call to follow Him. We too have at some point in our life made a decision to follow Jesus and to be His disciples. The point that each of us need to ponder is whether we have learnt to completely trust Him in all circumstances.
Trusting Jesus through the storms
We read in Matthew 8:23-24, “Then He went on board a fishing-boat, and His disciples followed Him. But suddenly there arose a great storm on the Lake, so that the waves threatened to engulf the boat; but He was asleep.” (WNT)
Some of the disciples of Jesus who accompanied Him on the boat that day were seasoned fishermen who had probably encountered many fierce storms in the very same sea. Strangely, the storm that challenged them that day seemed to be unlike any they had seen before. The winds were so fierce and the waves so boisterous that they were gripped with the fear of death. In the midst of such a raging storm, Jesus was fast asleep in that same boat.
When the disciples set out with Jesus, they got into the boat following Jesus. We read in Matthew 8:23 that the disciples simply did so because Jesus went on board a fishing boat. When the storm raged on with intensity, and threatened their very lives, they might have wondered if they did the right thing to follow Jesus into that boat. They had probably decided to follow Jesus with hope that they would have absolute safety, no storms whatsoever. But the storm they encountered, proved to be contradictory to their belief.
There may be those who are stressed out with such hardships, and are wondering as to why the Lord has not intervened or revealed Himself, to ease your situation. Do keep in mind that we have a God who is altogether trustworthy. Our many difficulties might make us speculate if we made the right decision to follow Jesus. The Lord wants to assure such people that there is no need to be perturbed, for the Lord is with us all the time. For others who might deliberate that they are weak in their faith, let us be comforted that even the disciples of Jesus, who were with Him, and saw all the wonders He performed, were perplexed in the midst of that storm.
We read in Matthew 8:25, “So they came and woke Him, crying, "Master, save us, we are drowning!"” (WNT)
Jesus and the disciples were in the same boat, but the way they addressed Jesus was as if He were somewhere else, and not with them in their crisis. That is why they said to Jesus, “Master, save us, we are drowning!” What they failed to realize was that Jesus was in their boat, and as long as He was there, there would be no way that their boat would drown, and they would die without fulfilling their life's mission. Jesus got up and ordered the winds and the waves to be still and they immediately calmed down.
In the midst of our fears, let us say along with the Psalmist, ‘my God, in whom I trust’ for when we affirm this over and over again, our faith will grow and our hearts will be filled with courage.
Trusting Jesus to be the provider - The disciples want to disperse the crowd
We read in Matthew 14:14-15, Jesus got out of the boat, and when he saw the large crowd, his heart was filled with pity for them, and he healed their sick. That evening his disciples came to him and said, "It is already very late, and this is a lonely place. Send the people away and let them go to the villages to buy food for themselves." (GNB)
A large crowd had come to meet Jesus and when it was evening the disciples suggested to Jesus that He should disperse the crowd, so they could go and find food in some of the villages nearby.
A lot of people have a similar attitude that the disciples had to those in need. For those who served in our homes and were stopped either by us or because of their situation for fear of the virus, it is our duty to enquire about their welfare and help them financially in whatever way possible. So also, let us not turn aside those who come to us seeking for any sort of help or assistance during these days. If we trust God to be our provider, we will never shun those who come to us looking to us to help them through their difficulties. If we are generous and willing to pay those who were serving us, even when they are unable to come, that is an evidence that we truly trust in the Lord to take care of our needs.
We find it easy to sing praises to God and worship Him. When we claim that He is our ‘Jehovah Jireh’ we must believe that He will provide for us, and not put us to shame when we are faced with a great need in our life.
Jesus planned to satisfy their hunger
We read in Matthew 14:16,"They don't have to leave," answered Jesus. "You yourselves give them something to eat!" (GNB)
While the disciples proposed that Jesus send the crowds away, Jesus was filled with compassion and asked that they be given something to eat before they left. All that was there was only five loaves and two small fish. However, when they were given into the hands of Jesus, he blessed it to feed more than five thousand people who were gathered there that day.
If the Lord is with us, the little that we have will be sufficient for us, and the Lord will bless it to help us bless others as well. Let us pray to the Lord to take whatever is in our hands, however meager it may be, to make it a blessing to those around us, who are in want. Some people are wrongly interpreting the five loaves and two fish to mean five thousand rupees and two thousand rupees and this is not so. It is about trusting God to bless what we have, so we can in turn bless others who are in far greater need than we are in.
We read in Psalm 37:3, “Trust in the LORD and do good; live in the land and be safe.” (GNB)
This is the word of encouragement from the Lord that we should trust Him completely, and do all the good we can for others.
Accept those who are serving the Lord
We read in Luke 9:49, John spoke up, "Master, we saw a man driving out demons in your name, and we told him to stop, because he doesn't belong to our group." (GNB)
In this incident Jesus’ disciple John brought a complaint to Jesus that there was a man who was not part of their group, but that he was driving out demons using Jesus’ name. John also informed Jesus that they had asked the man to stop using the name of Jesus to cast out demons as he was not a follower of Jesus like they were. The reason for this was that the disciples believed that they were that exclusive group whom Jesus had chosen and called. The disciples did not rejoice that a man who was demon possessed was set free, but rather sought to deter the man from ministering, simply because he did not belong to their group and didn’t do things their way.
Jesus’ response astounded the disciples
Jesus responded this way in Luke 9:50, "Do not try to stop him," Jesus said to him and to the other disciples, "because whoever is not against you is for you." (GNB)
When John complained to Jesus, he might have assumed that Jesus would commend him for what he did. Adversely Jesus told John and the other disciples, not to stop him, for whoever was not against them was for them.
Many ministries have been hindered, because there is this sense of competition and exclusivity among those who serve the Lord. God has called and gifted everyone to serve Him differently, using their varied gifts and methodologies. We should as fellow workers never demean or despise what others are doing for the kingdom of God. There are false teachings and worship patterns which should most certainly be avoided, but when the foundational doctrines are based on the word of God, we should be willing to accept, love and support each other. There is to a large extent this sense of contention that has become an obstacle to the growth of God’s work. Ministry does not belong to any one individual, and we must be willing to give up our ego and work together to build the Kingdom of God. As those who trust in the Lord, let us avoid every form of disunity and come together to serve the Lord unitedly.
The disciples of John the Baptist had a similar issue
After Jesus had been baptized by John the Baptist, many of the disciples of John the Baptist left him to follow after Jesus. The disciples of John the Baptist were upset and brought a complaint to him about this.
John 3:26 So they went to John and told him, "Teacher, you remember the man who was with you on the east side of the Jordan, the one you spoke about? Well, he is baptizing now, and everyone is going to him!" (GNB)
John the Baptist gave this response to his disciples this way in John 3:27, “John answered, "No one can have anything unless God gives it.”(GNB)
As children of God we must firstly stop fretting over everything. There are many reasons to worry at present, things like our inability to go to work, our salaries not being paid, financial uncertainties for children’s education and various other needs, all of which are valid. However, let us choose to lay them all aside, and declare with faith that we have placed our trust in the Lord who will never let us down or allow us to be put to shame. So also, we will not withhold from those who come to us for help, only because we have trusted in the Lord to be our provider.
These are hard times for everyone, but this is also an exceptional season where our trust in God is being tested. We are tested to see if we will trust in God instead of fretting, if we withhold from those in need or be willing to share with others. If we are hindering the work of God or are we willing to support those who serve the Lord. We will declare by faith that the Lord is in our boat and though the storms may seem to overwhelm us, we will not be discouraged for the one who is with us is able to calm all these storms. The Lord is over all and He is able to strengthen us, and the one who began this journey with us, will remain faithful to the very end.
May we be able to say along with the Psalmist, in Psalm 91:2, “I will say to the LORD, "You are my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust."”(GW) Just like Peter, Matthew and all the disciples of Jesus who left their all to follow Jesus, let us place our complete trust in God and say with all our heart, ‘My God in whom I trust.’
Pastor Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by Sis. Esther Collins
