Bible Message/Preaching : Trusting in the Lord
Pro 3:5-7 5Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 7Do not be wise in your own eyes;
We seen in Ps 131 a good illustration of trust. This is talking about trusting the Lord with simple heart: 131:2-3 2Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me. 3O Israel, hope in the LORD From this time forth and forever.
This is what we see in the believers of the 1st century. ...they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,... (Act 2:46)
What is Trust?
The word "trust" in Hebrew is "baw-takh'", which literally means "to cling to", to "confide in", or "to set one's hope and confidence upon".
How can we trust?
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One of the reasons you are able to trust another is because of the character of that person - some one who has a track record of :
- integrity
- honesty
- faithfulness
- ability to perform
How will be live/believe when we trust?
38"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." 39But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (Jn 7:38-39) -> Miracles
3Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 7Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; (Ps 37:3-5,7)
But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. (Jer. 17:7-8)
Ps 84:11-12 11For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; ... 12O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!
Biblical statistics for trust?!
In fact, if we look between the the Shortest & the Longest Chapters of the Bible we see some thing there concerning trust Ps 118:8-9 It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man. 9It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes.
Contrary to popular belief, Ps 118:9 is not the central verse nor Psalm 118 the central Psalm, it is Ps 117 which is the central chapter and Ps 118 does not contain the middle verse of the Bible. The (New) King James Version has an even number of verses (31,102), with the two middle verses being Psalm 103:1-2. There are 1189 chapters in the Bible and it can be linked back to Ps 118:9 if one like to.
Another interesting observation (Shortest Chapter) 117 + (Longest Chapter) 119 = 236. It is something that gives us hope! Ps 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
Biblical examples of trust:
We can look through the pages of Scripture and see those who trusted in God in ancient times; men like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Job and David (Ps23).
17"If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18"But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up." 28Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God." (Dan 3:17-18, 28)
Hannah had a high confidence in God so exemplary because she knew without any doubt that there was none other than her God who could answer her prayer for a son. She prayed in the temple with tears streaming down her cheeks and then afterwards walked away knowing that God had certainly heard her cry for mercy. As she walked out of the temple doors, her tears ceased and her countenance brightened. Later, God indeed blessed Hannah with the son she longed for and she kept her promise to Him that she would give him back to serve the Lord in the temple all the days of his life.
1Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 5But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the LORD had closed her womb. 6And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the LORD had closed her womb. 7So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat. 10And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish. 11Then she made a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head." 12And it happened, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli watched her mouth. 13Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. 14So Eli said to her, "How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!" 15And Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. 16"Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now." 17Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him." 18And she said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight." So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. 19Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. 20So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, "Because I have asked for him from the LORD." (1 Sam 1:1-2,5-7,10-20)
"I know that God's Word is true and He will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:19)
Mt 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Mt 11:28-30 28"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
What are the factors that hinders trust?
1. Unbelief 2. Alternative support systems To have trust in God requires us to abandon other trusts: Man in general Princes/Kings Our own natural strength Uncertain riches and wealth
Psalm 146:3-7 3Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. 4His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish. 5Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever,
1 Timothy 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
Consequences of distrust:
Learning to really trust God in the way that He wants us to fully trust Him. It is an all-or-nothing principle. You will either completely trust Him with every area of your life or you do not. The minute you start doubting and trying to negotiate the fence post with Him on any issue, you will then become what the Bible says is a wavering and double-minded man who will become unstable in all of his ways.
Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.
This is what the Lord says: 5"Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. (Jer. 17:5-6)
Notice that God is using heavy language in telling us that we are not to put our trust in other things!
1Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: "I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, I will never break My covenant with you. 2And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.' But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? 3"Therefore I also said, I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.' " (Jud 2:1-3)
9The Angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand." 10Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, "I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude." 11And the Angel of the LORD said to her: "Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has heard your affliction. 12He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man's hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren." (Gen 16:9-12)
Does trusting God mean that we should ignore common sense, wisdom gained through experience, and the wise counsel of mature Christians?
What is the difference between faith in God and "blind faith"?
Conclusion:
Explain the wonderful promise: "He, the Lord, will make your paths straight". (He shall direct thy paths.) What does that mean?
When we trust in the Lord, God will direct our paths in the life. That means we will: be happy not walk in darkness - but in the light of God be like Mount Zion - we will not be moved prosper wherever we go always be yielding fruit for the Lord be at perfect peace - we will not be afraid of evil tidings remain steadfast in the Lord have no want - we shall not lack any good thing be safe in our surroundings shall possess the land and inherit the holy mountain of God
Meditation:
Let's think about these questions for a moment. 1. Do I really trust in the Lord? 2. Have I surrendered whole of my life to God? 3. What are the hindrance for trusting the Lord in my life?
Delivered 10 Oct 2010
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