Trusting - My Final Answer

“Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature

of his purpose very clear to the heirs

of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.

God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,

we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us

may be greatly encouraged.”

Hebrews 6:17-18 NIV

My favorite vacations take me to places where nature speaks to my soul. That is why I love the beach; the mighty ocean, the beautiful sky and clouds, the sunrises and the sunsets are refreshing for a weary traveler. During my quiet time this morning I was reflecting on a lesson that God taught me the last time I was at the ocean. I began to realize that not only did God create the heavens and the earth; he continues to create new landscapes every day. During my time at the beach I became conscious that the sky never looks the same. Each and every day the ocean appears to look the same yet everyday it is completely different! It occurred to me that I will never experience the same sunrise. I marveled at the ever changing diversity to be found in each evening sunset. This Divine creativity fills me with wonder! My spirit continues to rejoice in knowing that God is on the job each and every day painting magnificent wonders all over our earth for the enjoyment of those he loves. A God like this can without a doubt be trusted.

It is also God’s faithfulness and his unchanging nature that summons my trust. As I observed the rhythm of the waves as they rolled in and continued to crash within their God given boundaries I began to realize that if I am going to live a victorious life as a believer trusting God must always be my final answer!

Another reason that I can trust God is because God’s Word is unchangeable and true. God’s care for his people and his promise to believers regarding eternal life has been sealed with the blood of Jesus Christ. God paid a huge price for the purchase of all those who will put their trust in his Son, Jesus Christ. We, who are his children, are loved by our Father. We can trust our Father. God confirmed his promise to his heirs in two ways. First God spoke truthful words on the matter of his unchanging purpose of what was promised very clear and then sealed his words with an oath. The Word of God also speaks of God’s character in stating that it is impossible for God to lie. As his children we should be greatly encouraged because God’s Word regarding his purposes and our hope is faithful and true. It is very clear to me that God can be trusted.

Why then is the act of trusting God such a struggle for me? If only I could learn to go straight to trust I would avoid so much of the emotional grief that takes place during the prolonged process of finally arriving at the point of trusting God with my situation. I would spare myself so much stress, worry, and sleepless nights if I could only learn to go immediately to trust. I know in my heart that I must eventually surrender all of my fears and my control if I am ever to arrive at trust and experience God’s peace on every single thing that concerns me. As a believer, I know that trust is not something that can be skipped over or compromised if I am to be an overcommer. My ability to trust God is crucial to me living a victorious Christian life.

When I am at the ocean the birds also help me understand God’s care. The sea gulls, the pelicans, the sandpipers all seem to have their own personal message. The sandpipers run frantically to and fro. If that’s not a picture of me I don’t know what is! Pelicans search for food, yet God provides the fish. The peaceful sea gulls glide through the sky on wings of trust never once fearing that they will fall. Oh, to be a sea gull!

I am reminded of the verse in scripture where the psalmist David, tells me about God’s holy wings. “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” Psalm 91:4 NIV I am moved to tears to realize that God tucks me under his wing and covers me with his feathers of love. When I will allow it, God holds me so close to his heart that I can hear his heart beat in love for me. God is my safe house, a place of refuge, my comfort. God has been faithful to me in the past, he will be faithful to me today, and he will be faithful in all of my tomorrows. God is my protection in every circumstance. Of course, if I am to serve this God who cares for me so completely, my final answer must always be trust!

God may not show up the exact day I choose and he may not bring with him the suitcase full of the “goodies” that I ordered, but if I trust him, the bottom line is that he will show up! If I don’t believe that God will show up then I don’t believe the Bible. Could it be that I have forgotten that God cannot lie? Could it be that I have cut out of my Bible all of the verses regarding God’s faithfulness? I must anticipate and look for God’s arrival because the Bible says that if I call he will come to me in my time of need and if I trust him he will provide for my needs.

The Bible is full of God’s promises. However, many of those promises are contingent upon us obeying our part of the promise. God often says, I will do this when you do that. If I am waiting for God to make good on his promise, perhaps I should check myself and see if I have fulfilled my part of the promise.

It is pretty humorous that at times I build walls of protection around myself because I fear that God will disappoint me. This is a very lame attempt on my part for self-protection and maintaining control. It is a bit like going into battle wearing the armor of plastic wrap to ward off the bullets of life and the poisonous arrows of Satan.

As a believer I MUST believe that God will show up! What harm is there in that? What is the harm in trusting God? It seems that the most logical step in attaining God’s peace while I wait for his arrival is simply to climb up on top of the wall of self-protection that I have built around myself and jump straight into the everlasting arms of Jesus.

When I honestly think about it I realize that I will not be one bit better off by choosing not to jump! Would you agree that sometimes it seems that things could not get any worse than they already are? Maybe it is at this point that Satan shows up and says, “Oh yes they can”, and he fills our minds with the unthinkable and we take three steps backwards from the edge of the wall and refuse to jump into the invisible future. We refuse to trust our Savior. But wait a minute, isn’t it a Savior’s job is to get us safely home not to let us be taken captive by the enemy? We are never sure what God is going to do in the here and now, but we always know what lies ahead in the life to come. As believers, our final answer of trust is always based on eternity.

The bottom line is I will not be better off if I refuse to jump; my life will only remain unsettled, stressful, and full of fear. Circumstances do not change because I stay on the wall. I always have a choice to remain on the wall, but it is in my best interest to choose to mentally jump into the capable care of my Heavenly Father. It is at the point of trusting surrender that peace becomes mine. God immediately catches me when I jump, but it may be a while before he shows up with the answer. Now I must wait in peaceful confident anticipation for his arrival. God may not bring exactly what I asked for but he will choose from his abundant riches in glory exactly what it is he knows I need. Only God knows what I will need in the days ahead. I must learn to trust the One who knows my future. God’s answer will always be one of provision that will go way beyond my wildest expectations. The Bible says that God loves to give good gifts to his children. We are his heirs. God’s answer to our need will reflect his goodness and glorify his name. It is our trusting response to his answer that brings him additional glory. In living or in dying we must trust our Lord. We must know beyond a shadow of doubt, God will always be for us and more than enough in every circumstance.

God’s purpose for my life is for me to love and enjoy him forever. Trust is a key issue in this relationship. I cannot love or enjoy someone I do not trust. In the book of Job, Job says, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:21b NIV In every adversity trust was Job’s final answer even when he did not understand what was happening to him. Building walls of protection does not keep us safe. It occurs to me that I have never heard a single person say they were sorry they had trusted God or that God had failed to catch them when they jumped into his arms. I know from personal experience that God cannot do his heavenly work in my life unless I choose to trust him.

Questions:

1. Do you find that trusting God is a challenge for you? Why?

2. Does your lack of trust keep you from living a victorious life?

3. How would trusting God benefit you?

4. What problem do you need to trust God with today?

Prayer:

Dear God,

I thank you that your words are trustworthy. God, as you know, I live in a world that lacks honesty, truth, and integrity. I am extremely comforted to know that in my world where I often can’t trust others I can trust you completely. It is a joy to know that you are a God of character and truth and because of this you cannot lie. Help me God not to trust in myself but give me the courage to jump into the air of invisible trust and land safely in your arms of love and care. God I pray that I would not focus on the outcome but rather on you. God, Satan tries to convince me that if I trust you bad things will happen. Protect me from those lies. God you have taught me that perfect love casts out all fear. Father, give me your perfect love so that I will not fear the unknown. Father, I don’t want to be the stumbling block that keeps you from accomplishing your holy work in my life. So today I climb to the top of my wall of self-protection and choose to jump straight into your arms of care. Yes, God today I choose to trust you for _________________ and that is my final answer.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.