“Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust” (Psalm 16:1).
When I was a child, I had an older brother. How I pestered him! Although we argued like most kids, he taught me many things. Thanks to Mike I learned how to lather my hands with soap and blow bubbles through my fingers. He also taught me to hold a blade of grass between my thumbs and make a whistle. Sometimes, if I hadn’t pestered him too much, he’d let me sit on the bar of his bike and would peddle me around the yard. He was seven years older than me, and I thought he was wonderful. One day he had an idea. “Let’s see how much you trust me.”
I was to stand with my back to him and fall backwards. He promised to catch me before I hit the ground. I’ll never know for sure if he would’ve caught me because I just couldn’t bring myself to trust him that much. I was never fully able to trust my brother, but over the years I’ve learned that I can always trust God.
“But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works” (Psalm 73:28).
God will never ask you to do something that’s contrary to Scripture, but you may be asked to do something based upon trust. Maybe God will ask you to step out in faith and witness to people around you. With so much sin and wickedness around, that can be intimidating. That happened to Noah. People had fallen into an utterly depraved way of life.
“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).
The fallen angels had corrupted all flesh, and that’s the reason for God’s judgment; only Noah and his family had stayed genetically pure. God told Noah that the entire earth would be flooded and all flesh would be destroyed. Noah was told to build an ark. He and his family would only be saved from the judgment if Noah trusted God.
“And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth” (Genesis 6:12).
God waited as long as possible to send His judgment, but there was no repentance in the hearts of people. Noah trusted God’s directions and built the ark. In so doing, he was a witness to the wicked people around him. Nobody repented, but in spite of what others did, Noah was obedient and trusted God. We can learn from his example.
Another great example of trusting God was shown by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were young when they were taken captive from their home in Jerusalem to the pagan city of Babylon, but they never stopped trusting God almighty. Some of King Nebuchadnezzar’s advisors, who hated these men, wanted to get rid of them. They knew that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trusted God Almighty and would continue to be faithful in their worship of Him. These evil ones devised a plan.
A huge golden statue was created and a decree was issued commanding that, at certain times, everyone would fall down and worship the golden idol or be thrown into a fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship the statue and wouldn’t even pretend to worship that false god in order to save their lives. They were arrested and taken before Nebuchadnezzar, who demanded to know why they disobeyed the law.
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:16-18).
They trusted God to either deliver them from death in the furnace or to deliver their souls from eternal death. Their trust was rewarded. They were tied up and thrown into the furnace, but God protected them, and they survived the fire. When they were taken from the furnace, they weren’t singed and didn’t even smell of smoke. Their trust in God was a witness to Nebuchadnezzar, who admitted that the God they served had delivered them.
When you face choices or temptations, where do you go for guidance? We usually know who will give us the advice we want instead of the advice we need. Christians should always go to God first. Pray and let the Holy Spirit guide you. He will never lead you into sin, but will guide you along the path of righteousness. Also search Scripture to find many examples of men and women who trusted God and acted in faith.
In addition to the above examples, there’s Moses who needed to trust God in order to face Pharaoh and ask him to let the Israelites go. He was turned down many times, but God kept sending him back; and Pharaoh finally let them go. When Moses failed to trust God, they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness.
Then there’s Hannah who yearned to have a son. She trusted God and prayed that He would allow her to become pregnant. In God’s perfect timing, she gave birth to Samuel who grew to be a wonderful prophet of God.
Because Esther trusted God, she found courage to go before the king and expose a plot to kill all the Jewish people.
One of my favorite examples of trust is Peter. The disciples were in a ship during a violent storm. Jesus had stayed behind but decided to go to them. How? Well, He walked on the water to get to them! The disciples were troubled by this, but Jesus calmed their fear. Peter was never shy and wanted to walk on water too.
“And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water” (Matthew 14:28).
Jesus invited him to come, and Peter got out of the boat and began walking on the water to Jesus.
“But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30).
Had Peter kept his eyes on Jesus and not looked at the storm around him, he wouldn’t have failed.
“And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matthew 14:31).
We are much like Peter. We trust Jesus until we look at the storms, then we sink. He’s always faithful to catch us when we cry out to Him.
We all need advice at times, and it’s important that we choose our mentor wisely. Before you trust someone for advice, be sure they’re grounded in God’s word.
“Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 5:6).
Are you lonely and desire to be married? God ordained marriage, but finding the person God has in mind for you is challenging. “Living together” isn’t an option for a Christian, so instead of asking Facebook friends who may or may not have a Biblical foundation or life experience in such matters, go to a Christian who has trusted God with such feelings.
“But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints” (Ephesians 5:3).
Is your job a challenge? There’s a solid Christian near you who has had trouble on a job and can help you to be a good employee in spite of trouble.
“Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ” (Ephesians 6:5).
Are you tempted to use misleading facts to get what you want? That’s called bearing false witness, and there is a God-fearing person you can go to who will guide you in God’s ways. If you have financial trouble, trust God for help. Every situation in life needs to be put in God’s hands. Trust Him and don’t stray from His ways. If you live in opposition to Him, you can’t expect Him to honor your cry for help.
Sometimes we trust things. Instead of trusting God to provide what we need to survive in this world, we think possessions and money will solve all of our problems. That’s not true. Oh, it’s good to have enough money to pay the bills and to have a little left over, but don’t put your trust in it. The love of money can cause you to make wrong decisions in order to get more money.
“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10).
Remember, it’s God who provides for your needs, so the money is actually His. Use it to glorify Him.
“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).
Money comes and goes, but God is eternal, and He will never leave you. Put your trust in Him.
One of our human failings is the lack of patience. We want answers and we want them now. God’s timing is perfect because He sees the future and knows when the time is right for His perfect answer.
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalm 27:14).
While you wait, you need to prepare for Him to fulfill your request. If it’s a job you need, then learn the skills required. If it’s marriage you desire, then learn how to be a godly spouse. Don’t compromise in your choices. Trust that God is making a way. There are many details that need to be put in place before your prayer can be answered. On the other hand, maybe what you’re praying for really isn’t best. Maybe God has something better for you. This is why Christians need to trust God.
Today, it seems as if people, even Christians, trust in everybody except the Lord. Instead of going to the Lord in prayer when there’s a problem, or talking with a Christian friend who lives by Scripture, the first choice is social media. That’s a real problem in society today. If you have a problem and go to a friend for advice, will that advice be based upon Scripture? If the friend is a Christian, then there’s a chance it will be Godly advice; but many people who claim to be Christians don’t live by Scripture. Too many Christians have compromised with the world, so their advice can’t be trusted.
“Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah” (Psalm 62:8).
Even when we don’t fully understand His reasons, we can always trust God.
I didn’t trust my brother because I doubted that he would catch me.
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Trust God because He will always catch you.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
www.straitandnarrowministry.com
ron@straitandnarrowministry.com
Ron and Nathele Graham’s previous commentaries archived at https://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html
All original scripture is “theopneustos” – God breathed.
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