2010-12-24
Good Morning Dear Ones,
We’ve been looking at having trust in God, and there is more to this than meets the eye. It’s very close to faith, and I believe trust in God, like faith, comes from the Holy Spirit. It also involves experience over time. A new believer in the Lord Jesus, for example, needs to have some time experiencing that faith and coming to realize that God really does keep His end of the Covenant of Grace. As we learn and experience more of God’s faithfulness and love for us over time, we develop trust in Him. While faith is something the Holy Spirit can give a person right away, trust is something that is built over time. Trust can be built by a combination of studying God’s behavior in the past and experiencing it in one’s own life.
Now the question arises: Do we give God a chance? Do we test God, as the devil did during Christ’s time in the wilderness [MT 4: 1-11]? MT 4: 5-7, “Then the devil took Jesus to Jerusalem, the holy city, set Him on the highest point of the temple and said to Him, ‘If you are God’s Son, throw yourself down, for the Scripture [PS 91: 11-12] says, ‘God will give orders to His angels about You; they will hold You up with their hands; so that not even Your feet will be hurt on the stones.’” Jesus answered, ‘But the Scripture [DT 6: 16] also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” This is exactly the kind of thing that the devil would do or cause a person to do. Remember the very reason he and one third of the heavenly hosts were cast down to earth in the first place. The devil tested God by setting himself above Him. IS 14: 13-15, “You were determined to climb up to heaven and to place your throne above the highest stars. You thought you would sit like a king on that mountain in the north where the gods assemble. You said you would climb to the tops of the clouds and be like the Almighty.” In this writer’s humble opinion, our not giving God a chance is the same as testing him and allowing Satan and not God to have sway over us.
We can go back to MT 8 for another example of the point. MT 8: 21-22, “Another man, who was a disciple said, ‘Sir, first let me go back and bury my father,” when Christ had said, ‘Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’” Tough words? You bet, but the right ones for our Lord to say to direct the man’s faith and trust to Him. A person who comes to real faith should know without hesitation to follow the Lord. During this time of training for the disciples, Christ, Who had every right to do so, tested their faith. In MT 8: 23-27, we have the story of the disciples in a boat during a fierce storm, one that would possibly compromise their safety. Christ fell asleep in the boat. But the worried disciples awakened Him in their fear. “Why are you so frightened? What little faith you have!,” Jesus said. Then He got up and ordered the winds and the waves to stop, and there was a great calm. Everyone was amazed. “What kind of Man is this?” they said, “Even the winds and the waves obey Him!” I’m reminded of some of the statements and questions about God’s powers in JOB 37-39. Some examples are (37: 23-24) “God’s power is so great that we cannot come near Him; He is righteous and just in His dealings with men. No wonder that everyone is awed by Him, and that He ignores those who claim to be wise.” (38: 4) [God speaking] “Were you there when I made the world? If you know so much, tell Me about it.” (38: 19), “Do you know where the light comes from or what the source of darkness is?” (38: 32), “Can you guide the stars season by season and direct the Big and the Little Dipper?” (39: 1-3) “Do you know when mountain goats are born? Have you watched wild deer give birth? Do you know how long their carry their young? Do you know what they will crouch down and bring their young into the world?” (39: 19), Was it you, Job, who made horses so strong and gave them their flowing manes?” These questions from God go on and on, but all make the point of His superiority over mankind, superiority that we have no right to question or to test. By this point in Job’s experience, God knew that Job understood. Obviously, so should we.
Jesus gives us yet one more example of why we should have faith and trust in Him in MT 14: 25-32. It is the story of Him walking on water. Christ sent the people away and went up a hill by Himself to pray. Evening came, and the boat was far out on the lake. The disciples in the boat saw Him walking across the water toward them and were terrified. Jesus spoke saying, “Courage! It is I. Do not be afraid!’ Impetuous Peter said, ‘If it is really you, then command me to come to You.’ Christ did this, and Peter climbed out of the boat and began walking on the water toward the Lord. But then a strong wind whipped up, and Peter lost his courage, beginning to sink down. “Save me, Lord!” Peter called, and Christ reached out and grabbed hold of him. “What little faith you have! Why did you doubt?” Christ asked him. They both got into the boat, and the wind died down. The disciples worshipped Jesus, ‘Truly You are the Son of God!” they exclaimed. Such experiences on the part of those we read about in the Scriptures should cause us to ask: What is the condition of my own faith and trust in the Lord? Have I or would I test God’s promises? Do I even know and understand God’s promises? With God’s help, we should pray that we can face these questions with honesty and reverence toward the Lord.
PRAYER: O Lord, You give us so many opportunities to examine the questions raised here, that we can only come to the conclusion that You are a patient, wise, and compassionate God. We thank and praise You for that and so much more. Today, we approach Your throne with the confidence that our faith gives us [EPH 3: 12] to ask for Your help for each of us in finding the real answers to them. Do we give You a chance? Are we reverent and worshipful, or do we only go through the motions without our hearts engaged? Are we more interested in how we appear to other people, or are we coming to You with a true faith? Do we understand Your power and righteous use of it? Dearest Abba, the apostle James has said, in JAS 2: 17, “So it is with faith; if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead. “ He also said, in JAS 2: 26, “As the body without the Spirit is dead, also faith without actions is dead.” Without the gift of the Holy Spirit- only obtained through faith in the Lord Jesus- we are going headlong into spiritual death. But with the gift of the Holy Spirit, we can choose to allow Him leadership in our lives, and thus, have our lives saved eternally. You love us and have the power to act on that love. 1 JN 4: 12, “No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.” When we love You and have faith in You, You show us through the many tests of our faith that You will always come through for us, i.e. You live up to Your covenant promises. Over time, this builds a kind of “faith memory” which we can call trust in You. For many of us, real trust comes with much difficulty, because we are used to looking to other humans for our help. But eventually, You will show us that our need is to trust and rely on You FIRST. There are many things we cannot do on our own without Your help. We trust that You will hear this plea for it and answer us with Your customary wisdom, perfect timing, and godly patience. We make this assertions in the holy and mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: In the course of this discussion of trusting God, we must ask: Do we believe more in human or godly understanding? When in our own individual lives will we develop real trust in God? Those questions will be the topic of next week’s devotion. It’s hard to wrap our heads around the fact that God’s timing on things is perfect. Oftentimes, we want it to be sooner than God knows is the right time. There is an overarching truth for us to accept. 2 PET 3: 9, “The Lord is not slow to do what He has promised, as some think. Instead, He is patient with you, because He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants all to turn away from their sins.” Part of learning to trust the Lord is also to trust and accept His timing on things. It also involves enough reverence that we will get in the habit of turning to Him in prayer FIRST. I’m reminded of this comforting passage, a favorite of mine. PS 40: 1-2, “I waited patiently for the Lord’s help; then, He listened to me and heard my cry. He pulled me out of a dangerous pit, out of the deadly quicksand. He set me safely on a Rock and made me secure.” If He can awaken a stubborn person like me from ignorance to His presence and power for 25 years and make a believer out of me, then He can do this for anyone! When the Lord decides He loves us, He acts on it. My story is only one out of many where He has shown this love in a real and practical way. This same love is here for anyone who opens His senses and allows the Lord to fill them! Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15