F A T H E R SSample

  -Trust-

Proverbs 3:5-6 is one of my favorite verses In the Bible. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

What I love about these verses is they personify the author of Proverbs, Solomon’s wisdom, and perfectly sum up for us the order in which we should be living our lives. Solomon first writes, “Trust in the Lord”. This directly relates to faith, in which we have already covered on day one. This is where everything starts and this is where our main priority and focus should be. A lot of believers claim to have faith in God, yet they don’t trust Him with every facet of their life. True faith can’t be claimed without the action of trust. Faith without trust is like a beautiful brand-new car with the engine missing. Yeah, it looks nice, but you won’t be going anywhere; especially where God wants you to go. This flows right into the last part - for us to trust in the Lord with ALL of our hearts. Not some of it or most of it; but ALL OF IT. We can’t straddle the fence and be double-minded, lukewarm Christ followers. Revelations 3:16 and James 1:1-8 give us excellent insight on what God thinks of those who are not All In when it comes to trusting in Him and letting Him be Lord over their entire life. Our Creator doesn’t want part- time followers, but full-time faithful believers who trust God’s plan for their lives (Jer. 29:11). Let’s be honest - saying “I trust you, God” doesn’t carry any weight unless that statement is tested. The Lord examines the mind and tests the heart (Jer. 17:10) but fear not, because God won’t test or ask us to do something that He hasn’t already suffered, endured, or wouldn’t be willing to do Himself. The perfect example of this is in Genesis 22 when God tests Abraham and asks him to take his only son Isaac, whom he loves, and sacrifice him (sound familiar?). Abraham trusted God and passed the test, and Isaac’s life was spared and substituted by a ram found in a bush. Centuries later, God would give up His only begotten Son Jesus; for Him to be crucified on a cross at Calvary to atone for the sins of the world so we may spend eternity with Him (John 3:16). If that’s not a reason to Trust and praise God, I don’t know what is. Tests come in many different forms, but one thing for sure - we must trust God over everything. Abraham was willing to give up that which he both loved and longed for; and in doing so God honored and blessed him tremendously. To trust God, instead of the circumstances that may be troubling you, is to not lean on your own limited capacity of understanding (Job 12:13 & Rom. 11:33) so that the results are blessings. Therefore, we should acknowledge God in all we do, not only because He will make our paths straight; but also because every fragment of success, victory or achievement we attain has our Creator’s fingerprints on it as His sovereign hand delivers each blessing to us (James 1:17). 

*Prayer:

Heavenly Father, you are sovereign over all. The earth is yours, and everything in it. Nothing comes to us that doesn’t first pass through your hands. Help us to trust you unwaveringly in times when we don’t understand and when the outcome looks bleak. Lord help us to have blind trust in you knowing that you love us, and that you never change. Keep in the forefront of our minds that you are our refuge and always have our best interest at heart. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!