trust

WHEN GOD CALLS

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When God calls, it’s always best to yield to the call! The plans He has for us are far better than our near-sighted, flawed, and sometimes selfish plans.

For instance, D. L. Moody (1837-1899) had prayed for years that God would send him a song leader to partner with him in his evangelistic work.

One day Moody attended a church service where a man named Ira Sankey (1840-1908) was leading the singing. At the end of the service, Moody approached Sankey, introduced himself — and recruited him on the spot! Like Christ’s disciples, Sankey answered the call, left his government position, and joined Moody. They labored together in God’s vineyard for years, seeing tens of thousands come to faith in Christ.

Concerning Ira Sankey, in the eternal scheme of things which do you think mattered the most: keeping his government job, with its perks and security, or the decision to work with Moody?

Jesus calls today! He has that right. Without wading into heavy theology (predestination, free will and the sovereignty of God, etc.), simply put: We have the choice to respond or not. Peter, Andrew, James, John — these men could have said “no.” Sankey could have declined. We can say no or we can say yes.

What is God calling you to do, to become? Unsure? In Mark 1:17 we read of Jesus calling Peter and Andrew: “Come, follow Me.” Not only is He direct, notice the important implication: To say “follow Me” assumes He’ll show the way! The application for us today is simply this: The serious seeker will not be left in the dark. Wait upon the Lord if you are uncertain. When God is clear, go for it!

In Psalm 27:13-14, David says, “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”

You ask: “How long do I wait?” As long as it takes! We wait long enough to hear from God! Psalm 29 is all about the voice of God. In this psalm David reminds us that nothing can silence or overpower the “voice” of God. He speaks, and will be heard by those with ears to hear; He speaks through His prophets, His Spirit, our conscience, the “testimony” of creation, people in our lives, Scripture, and Jesus Christ — to name a few of the ways!

Frankly, there are rare occasions when it seems that God doesn’t care which direction we take; sometimes it’s as if He’s saying, “What do you want to do?”

When that happens (of course the options must always line up with the revealed will of God as found in the Bible!), we commit our choice to God then move forward (Matthew 7). We can trust Him to close any doors or any path that might be wrong for us.

Trust God to open the right doors — and close the wrong ones.

TAKE GOD AT HIS WORD

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If someone were to ask you “What is faith?” how would you respond? I asked someone this question and they said, “Eating at McDonald’s!”

Hebrews 11:1 says: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Simply put, Biblical faith is taking God at His Word. In other words:

  • Faith is a firm conviction that results in personal surrender.
  • Faith commits itself.
  • Faith is living as if what we’re asked to believe is actually true.
  • Faith is living as if we already have the answer we need.
  • Faith is simply doing things God’s way whether it seems right or not.

We exercise faith every day of our life: we do eat out; we trust that people are going to drive responsibly; we’re confident that our pharmacist has filled our prescription with the right pills. So, why not trust the One who still does what He says He will do? He’s the same God we read about in the Bible — the compassionate, almighty, loving Lord who has proved His love and power times innumerable.

“To trust God in the light is nothing, but trust Him in the dark — that is faith.” C. H. Spurgeon

GAS STATION BLUES AND TATTOOS

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I’ll never forget the day I was running a gas station by myself. I was 18, a senior in high school, and wearing a tee-shirt with extra-short sleeves. A “friend” had given me some homemade tattoos, one on each upper arm. I was swamped with customers, and one impatient guy looked at me, saw my tattoos, and said, “Ya, you look like someone that would work here!”

I think what we have here is a clear-cut case of stereotyping, don’t you?

Folks, we would do well to remember that things are not always as they seem! No, I was not walking with Christ at that time, but by God’s grace I turned out alright — no thanks to guys like that! We ought to be quick to give what we have received: mercy and grace.

Christian faith is trust in a person who has made certain promises, and these promises include His pledge that He will reward everyone who follows His instruction (Deut. 28:1- 14; Matt. 6:1-6).

We cannot really trust God if we do not believe what He promises, just as we cannot really trust other human beings if we doubt what they say. Biblical faith involves believing the specific promises of God. We must believe God, not simply believe in God. Ask the Lord this day to strengthen your faith in His promises so that you will continue to trust in Him alone.”

A Prayer of Trust

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Psalm 61 (KJV)
Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.
From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.
For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.
Thou wilt prolong the king’s life: and his years as many generations.
He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.
So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.

A Theme to Remember:
God hears and answers the prayers of His people with perfect timing and in a way that is a blessing to those who earnestly and regularly call upon His name.

Words to Remember:
Anxiety is a word of unbelief or unreasoning dread. We have no right to allow it. Full faith in God puts it to rest.
–Horace Bushnell

A Prayer of Trust

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Psalm 25 (NLT)
To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
I trust in you, my God!
Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.
No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.
Show me the path where I should walk, O LORD; point out the right road for me to follow.
Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.
Remember, O LORD, your unfailing love and compassion, which you have shown from long ages past.
Forgive the rebellious sins of my youth; look instead through the eyes of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O LORD.
The LORD is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
He leads the humble in what is right, teaching them his way.
The LORD leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all those who keep his covenant and obey his decrees.
For the honor of your name, O LORD, forgive my many, many sins.
Who are those who fear the LORD?
He will show them the path they should choose.
They will live in prosperity, and their children will inherit the Promised Land.
Friendship with the LORD is reserved for those who fear him.
With them he shares the secrets of his covenant.
My eyes are always looking to the LORD for help, for he alone can rescue me from the traps of my enemies.
Turn to me and have mercy on me, for I am alone and in deep distress.
My problems go from bad to worse.
Oh, save me from them all!
Feel my pain and see my trouble.
Forgive all my sins.
See how many enemies I have, and how viciously they hate me!
Protect me! Rescue my life from them!
Do not let me be disgraced, for I trust in you.
May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in you.
O God, ransom Israel from all its troubles.

A Theme to Remember:
Prayer is infinite ignorance trusting to the wisdom of God. Prayer is the voice of need crying out to Him who is inexhaustible in resources. Prayer is helplessness reposing with childlike confidence on the word of its Father in heaven. Prayer is but the verbal expression of the heart of perfect confidence in the infinite wisdom, the power and the riches of Almighty God, who has placed at our command in prayer everything we need. (Adapted from E.M. Bounds, The Necessity of Prayer)

Words to Remember:
In God alone there is faithfulness and faith in the trust that we may hold to him, to his promise and to his guidance. To hold to God is to rely on the fact that God is there for me, and to live in this certainty.
–Karl Barth