Topic: God/Trust
Theme: God’s Presence/Trusting God
Purpose: to be the Holy Spirit’s second witness calling God’s people in my care to trust God completely because he is with us and will not abandon us.
Response: Individuals choosing to trust God in this new school year will stand to pray with me.
Intro:
Can you imagine a marriage without trust? If one spouse cannot trust the other, will either one ever be comfortable in their relationship?
What would happen in a family where the parents refused to trust their children? Would they ever leave the house?
What if your boss didn’t trust you to do your job? How long would you stay at job where your supervisor stood right behind you all day?
How long can two people stay friends if they don’t trust each other?
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT TRUST IS ESSENTIAL IN ALL OUR RELATIONSHIPS, EVEN WITH GOD.
We can take a look at the history in the Bible to find how true that can be.
Joshua and Caleb said “Do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them” (Numbers 14:9).
That kind of “God-is-with-us-we-will-win” trust can be seen in more recent history too.
William Carey, often called the father of modern missions, faced a ministry disappointment of overwhelming proportions. Carey began his missionary career to India in 1793. He labored in that country for 40 continuous years, never once returning to his native England. Carey was a prodigious translator, translating portions of Scripture into over a dozen Indian languages.
One afternoon after 20 years of plodding labor in that country, a fire raged through his printing plant and warehouse. All of his printing equipment was destroyed, but most tragically, many of his precious manuscripts were completely consumed by the fire. Of course, Carey had no computer back-up files or Xerox masters. Twenty years of nonstop labor were gone within a few hours.
How would he respond to this crushing devastation? Carey wrote to his pastor-friend, Andrew Murray, in England:
“The ground must be labored over again, but we are not discouraged…. We have all been supported under the affliction, and preserved from discouragement. To me the consideration of the divine sovereignty and wisdom has been very supporting…. I endeavored to improve this our affliction last Lord’s day, from Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God." I principally dwelt upon two ideas:
1. God has a sovereign right to dispose of us as he pleases.
2. We ought to (comply) in all that God does with us and to us.”
Citation: Bill Mills and Craig Parro, Finishing Well in Life and Ministry (Leadership Resources International), pp. 101-102; submitted by Dave Parsons, Santa Rosa, California © 2001 PreachingToday.com / Christianity Today, International
That kind of “God-is-with-us-we-will-win” trust can be seen a story told by television and radio talk show host Larry King.
He talked about three farmers who gathered daily in a field during a horrible drought. The men are down on their knees, looking upward, and praying the skies would open and pour out a much-needed rain. Unfortunately, the heavens were silent, and the petitioners become discouraged, but they continued to meet every morning to lift up their request to God.
One morning an uninvited stranger approached and asked the men what they were doing. They said, "We’re praying for rain."
The newcomer looked at each of them and shook his head, "No, I don’t think so."
The first farmer said, "Of course we’re praying. We are down on our knees pleading for rain. Look around, see the drought. We haven’t had rain in more than a year!"
The outsider continues to nod his head and advises them their efforts will never work. The second farmer jumped in and cried, "We need the rain; we aren’t asking only for ourselves, but for our families and livestock."
The man listened, nodded, and said he still wasn’t impressed. "You’re wasting your time," he said.
The third farmer couldn’t take any more, and in anger he yelled, "Okay, what would you do if you were in our shoes?"
The visitor asked, "You really want to know?"
The three landowners answer, "We really want to know! The future of our farmlands is at stake."
The guest announced, "I would have brought an umbrella!"
Citation: Larry King, Powerful Prayers (Renaissance Books, 1998), p. 243; submitted by Louis Lapides, Thousand Oaks, California © 2001 PreachingToday.com / Christianity Today, International
The Bible says in Proverbs 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.
Thesis: Trust is just as necessary in our relationships with God as it is in any other relationship.
Key Question: What can we learn about trusting God from these verses?
First, we must DECIDE to trust God (vs. 5).
1. These verses begin with a command –“Trust in the Lord.” This isn’t an invitation we can accept or reject without any consequences. It is a command to be obeyed or rebelled against.
2. God calls us to a complete trust – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” In the Old Testament, the heart was considered the center of the mind, will and emotions. It’s not just a feeling. Trusting God is more than giving intellectual agreement the right views about God. The Bible tells us to trust God with all that we are – with all our feelings, our thoughts and our decisions.
3. In fact, this trust involves refusing to follow our own ideas on life. We are commanded not to “lean on our own understanding.” We must decide that we don’t need to know how everything will turn out before we trust God. We must decide to trust him no matter what may happen.
Our trust will make us DEVOTED to God (vs. 6).
1. The command goes on to tell us to “acknowledge him all our ways.” In other words, we need to relate all of our lives – every last part – to God. We need to sense his presence in our lives.
2. If we acknowledge God in all we do, then we will make a practice of pleasing him. Too often we settle for acting like saints at church and scoundrels at home, school or work. When will we realize God sees right through us? We cannot cover up a week of rotten attitudes and conversations with an hour or two of religious activities on Sunday.
3. The trust God calls for from us involves pleasing him in every area of our lives. When we decide to trust God with all we are, we will be devoted to pleasing him in every area of our lives.
God will give us DIRECTION when we trust him completely (vs. 6).
1. The command – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him” – is followed by a promise. There is a reward for obeying God’s order. The Lord “will make your paths straight.”
2. What’s a “straight” life look like? (Encourage verbal answers and wait for replies.)
Sexual purity
Honesty
Obeying the Ten Commandments
Different from most people around us
3. Why do we need God to make our lives straight? (Encourage verbal answers and wait for replies.)
Because we are naturally “crooked.”
No one needs to teach us how to break the Ten Commandments.
It’s not easy to resist “peer pressure.”
4. How will God help us?
He gives the grace to see the “straight paths” through the Bible.
He gives us the grace to walk the “straight paths” through his Holy Spirit.
5. The trust God calls for from us involves living a life that goes against the norm of our society. When we decide to trust God with all we are, when we are devoted to pleasing him in every area of our lives, then he gives us the grace to see and to walk the “straight paths.”
Conclusion:
Trust is absolutely necessary in your relationship with God. You could even say that it’s all or nothing. Either you trust him with everything or you don’t really trust him at all.
Application:
Is there an area of your life where you aren’t trusting God? What about your relationships? Your speech? What about finances?
Do you have any reservations or limits to your trust in God? Are you keeping an eye open for a backdoor or escape hatch if things don’t turn out as well as you would like?
Are you ready to go anywhere, at anytime, with anyone, at any cost for Jesus?
Can you invite Jesus to join you in all your activities?
Are you trying to understand why God asks us to do something? Are you refusing to obey him until you know how everything will turn out?
Do you sense his presence in your life? Are you trying to please him in every part of your life?
Are you living a “straight” life? Do you see how to live? Are you living the way you know God wants you to live?
NEXT STEPS:
Silently reflect on these two questions as we start a new school year: Will I face this year with Joshua’s “God-is-with-us-we-will win” trust? Or will I go into it with fear and trembling wondering if God can help me handle the challenges that I’ll face?
It’s time to make a decision for many of us. If you sense God encouraging you to trust Him completely, then don’t put off the choice.
Responding to God:
Bow your heads and close your eyes so you can focus your attention on God’s Holy Spirit.
Is the Holy Spirit encouraging you to decide to trust God?
If so, would you raise your hand to acknowledge that you’re considering this decision?
