Our journey in trust
Day 32
by Gini Crawford, MSW
Got trust
Trust boils down to who or what you choose to rely on, depend upon, or have confidence in. From the moment you wake up you rely on things and people, often without a second thought. The chairs you sit in daily, the bridges you drive over, the technology you watch and use, the loyalty of family or a friend and so on, these acts of trust allow you to function. Yes, I know some things are tough to trust. Our pickup truck has cost us fifteen thousand to trust. But without underlying trust in things and people we don't easily function, do we?
Trust is very important in relationships, isn't it? Think of someone you can't trust – in all probability that relationship will be very frustrating or confusing, maybe hurtful or harmful. A person that is untrustworthy is certainly a person you hope you don't have to depend on, much less obey. I know some of you have had some very unsettling things happen in relationships, so you naturally tend not to trust. Now think of someone you do trust. You can easily rely on that person because you have confidence in that person.
God is trustworthy. You can rely on Him. I know you can't see God as you do a chair, but He is right there with you - alive and full of love for you. Acts 17:27 says, "that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us..." I guarantee if you will give God a chance and get to know Him like a trusted parent or spouse, then you will be able to have a transformative trust in Him. God isn't like humans who will let you down sooner or later. Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?"
Steadfast trust in God is essential for finding and following His path (Proverbs 3:5-6). Furthermore, it allows you to navigate life's challenges with His strength, wisdom, peace and even joy, and to persevere through the worst trials. Do you have trust in God? Explain.
A great adventure from trusting God
Abraham is our great example of trust in both the Old and New Testaments, so it is a must we talk about him. This humorous but true biography of Abraham covers Genesis chapters eleven through twenty-two. Abraham lived in the grandest city of his time, Ur. Ur was in the land we now call Iraq. Things were going as well as possible for him in Ur. Then God called to Abraham and told him to pack the family wagon and move to this wild country called Canaan. This country had some pretty unruly people in it. These people, I would dare say, used outhouses, not the indoor plumbing Abraham was accustomed to. If that wasn't bad enough, they did some pretty monstrous things. Abraham didn't whine to God and ask, "Why that awful place?" Instead, he obeyed God, demonstrating his trust in God, and he packed up and moved his clan.
As the years went on, Abraham got to know God better and better. This led him to trust in Him more. God and Abraham became buddies, so much so, that God's Word calls him the friend of God. When God told him that he would have a son by his beloved wife, Sarah, he believed God, even after her childbearing years were over. Now, Abraham wasn't perfect. His trust in God did have its flaky moments. But all in all, Abraham kept his confidence in God who had promised to give him that wild country for his descendants, and to give him a son through whom his descendants would come.
God's promise of a son finally came true when Abraham was 100 years old. Abraham loved the boy very much. Then God asked Abraham again to trust in Him. Wow, what a test of trust this trial would be! God asked him to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. Abraham's trust in God was so very strong by then, he said, "Okay Lord." Abraham packed up what he would need for a sacrifice, along with his son. Both of them immediately left their home to obey God. You see, Abraham knew God was a loving God, and would only ask him to do what was best for him and his son. And God did. He provided a ram which was a substitute sacrifice in the place of Isaac. The place God told Abraham to sacrifice his son was in the land of Moriah. Many centuries later in this same land, God's Son was sacrificed for Abraham, Isaac, and all of us (Genesis 15:6, 22:1-17; 2 Chronicles 3:1; Romans 4:3-8; Galatians 3:6-9; Hebrews 11:8-19).
We need to be like Abraham and trust God enough, that when He says something, we do it. Bear in mind, Abraham's trust in God was shown through His obedience of God. Obeying God is simply following His Word. Do you trust in God enough to obey Him like Abraham did?
Life Application
Trust because we have hope
Trusting anyone, even God, can be a roller-coaster. I have noticed when my main focus is Jesus instead of the pull of this world, I seem to want what He wants, so I trust Him more and yes obey Him. On the flip side, when I don't trust God, I end up trusting in something that looks and feels right at that moment, but in reality falls short of what I really needed. Whereas trust in Jesus allows us to cultivate a godly life that is anchored in resilience, perseverance, and purpose, keeping us on God's fruitful path,and flourishing in God's eternal hope and blessings. Read Proverbs 3:5-6; Jeremiah 17:5-8. Why should you trust in God from these passages?
Hope that has its foundation in Jesus, is a true hope that looks to the future, knowing you will gain eternal life and the promises of God before actually receiving them. Hope found in Jesus is something you can have trust in because it is certain. Not like hoping to win the lottery. No matter how tough your days may be, in Jesus you can always have hope for the present and the future. Knowing that what comes our way, Jesus' love through His Spirit is there with hope that doesn't disappoint. Read Jeremaih 29:11; Romans 5:5, 15:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17; Titus 2:11-14. Explain God's hope.
A couple was out canoeing in a lake with no life vests, and they tipped over. Neither of them could swim so they were terrified and kind of went crazy. They weren’t even hanging onto the floating canoe. The lifeguard (who was my teacher) was their only hope of survival. He swam out to them with two life preservers. The woman trusted in the lifeguard and listened to him and grabbed the help he brought, the life preserver. The man on the other hand, didn’t trust in his only hope and was fighting the lifeguard even to the point of hitting and drowning him. The lifeguard had to knock him out to save his life. Jesus is our lifeguard. He brings us saving hope. Will you trust Him and grab His hope, or fight Him when He is trying to save you?
King David knew a relationship with God needed to be cultivated by trust. David understood that God blessed trust in Him. Read Psalm 13:5-6, 37:3-6, 40:1-4, 56:3-4,8-13, 71:5; Proverbs 16:20. If you are struggling with trusting God, ask Him to create a desire in you to trust.
Reflect on Proverbs 3:5-6.