Trust in God: Free, with Priceless Results
The last article I wrote explained how worry can be a sin due to disobedience according to God’s Word. Often times, worry is caused by a lack of trust in God. Trust in God brings about peace and it also demonstrates our faith and dependence on Him. This kind of trust requires acknowledging that God will not only bring us through difficulty and trials, He will do it at the perfect time according to His will and plan…and His plan is always GOOD! A biproduct of this trust is a bonus for us as we grow in our faith.
Can you think of any examples in the Bible where people fail to wait upon the Lord? The reasons are often a result of worry and impatience, and this disobedience usually brings about bad results.
In 1 Samuel 13, we find king Saul in battle with the Philistines. Things weren’t going well for Saul and his troops started to desert him. The prophet Samuel instructed Saul to wait for him to arrive so that he could offer the burnt offering and fellowship offering to the Lord. When the appointed time for Samuel to arrive passed, Saul took it upon himself to offer the burnt offering. Saul was fearful and he panicked. His fear and worry caused him to take things into his own hands. We’re told that Samuel arrived just as Saul finished offering the burnt offering and before he offered the fellowship offering. Samuel rebuked Saul for his lack in trust and his disobedience towards God’s instruction. He told Saul that God was not only planning to bring victory over the Philistines, He was also going to permanently establish Saul’s reign over Israel through his descendants, beginning with his son Jonathan. Instead, God will appoint another man as ruler over His people; a man after God’s own heart; David.
In our sermon series through Genesis, we find similar examples of dependance on man’s wisdom, his desires and self-serving decisions.
God not only tells us to put our faith and trust in Him, Scripture tells us how to do that. Here are a few passages to help us remember how to do that, why we do it, and the results of obeying His Word.
Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to 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.
Psalms 27:14, Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord.
We can find refuge and strength in the Lord. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalms 91:1-2.
Psalms 37:5-7. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.
We gain peace through our trust in God. Isaiah 26:3-4, You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you. Trust in the Lord forever, because in the Lord, the Lord himself, is an everlasting rock!
And above all, we need to remember that our trust should be in God alone, at all times, and in all circumstances. Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken. My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock. My refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him. God is our refuge. Psalms 62:5-8.
Pastor Bryan