Are You Learning How To Trust? Loving God, part XXVI

I love getting feedback, thank you! But there is one thing that I desire more than just knowing that people are reading these messages, and that is knowing that they are reading the Word. If you are a regular reader of God’s Word, would you let me know? I’d love to hear from you.

What is your greatest concern? We all have our fears, concerns, and worries at times. Life is difficult. Who can we count on? Who is truly reliable? Is there anything certain in life? Friends disappoint us, jobs dry up, and bad news comes in all forms. When I have these anxieties, and I have many, I recall this verse:

Philippians 4: 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Don’t worry about anything!

It’s not some magical “hocus pocus” about this verse that takes all anxiety away, but it is the belief and trust in God as I recite this and then pray for whatever situation and ask Him for what I need. This is where the action is. The ability to trust in God does not happen automatically, it is developed over time like developing your muscle tone at the gym:

1 Corinthians 9: 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.

If we can only develop the habit of trusting in Him, then He becomes our place of safety, and this pleases Him:

Psalm 62: 8 O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.

Psalm 91: 2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.

How can we learn to trust Him?

If we are either moving closer to God or away from God, this correlates to how we trust in Him. I think it is safe to say that the closer we are to Him the more we know that we can trust in Him. How do we trust anybody? By getting to know them. Look at what happened to the Israelites that led them to be exiled:

Hosea 4: 6 My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children.

Jesus addressed this very issue:

John 8: 19 “Where is your father?” they asked.
Jesus answered, “Since you don’t know who I am, you don’t know who my Father is. If you knew me, you would also know my Father.”

As a reminder, who is Jesus?

John 1: 1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God.

If we know the Word, we know God?

I say yes, with one qualifying statement, and this is hard to describe. There is a difference between reading the Word for content and reading the Word with the expectation of hearing God speak. This is why the prayer “Lord, please reveal yourself to me as I read your Word.” is so effective when we mean it. That being said, don’t skim the text just to get through it, read the Word as if to devour it, take it all in and chew on every sentence. Read as if your life depends on the grade for comprehension because it does!

Isaiah 55: “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.

Which is on par with this:

Jeremiah 29: 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

I am convinced that if we take this message seriously, we will develop a faith that is so strong that nothing will shake us.

Psalm 1: 1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

Did you comprehend that? That’s a pretty good promise.

Reading His Word day and night has dramatically changed my life. I’ve taken this seriously. God is teaching me many things and my faith is stronger than it ever has been. I’m seeing God’s presence in my life. He is answering my prayers and rescuing me when I call on His name. He’s also given me the best friendships and relationships that I’ve ever had. I know that He has a purpose for me and that makes me feel significant. He’s chosen me to partner with Him, just as He has chosen you:

For all who are reading this, God is speaking to you:

John 15: 16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.

Isn’t it about time you get to know the One who appointed you?

“Dear Lord, I long to know you. The more I know you, the more you will change my heart which will lead me to trust in you and rely on you. For nothing on this earth compares to your everlasting love and mercy. You alone are my God. You are the One I will trust in. Thank you, Jesus, for loving me and leading me into all truth. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Photo by Karan Varshnei on Unsplash