06/15/09

Good Monday Mornin!

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” John 14:1

There are times in our lives when trust comes easy and other times when it does not come so easy. For instance when things are going good, money is in the bank, marriage is flowing good and health is good, it is easy to trust God. But when things are going bad, money is tight, marriage stinks or health is not too good, then trust becomes a much bigger obstacle. Why is that?

When things are good in our lives we find it very easy to believe that we can trust God. As far as we are concerned He knows what He is doing because He is doing a good job in our lives. He has it all under control, He is leading us in all the right directions, and we have nothing to fear because He is God and we are not.

But let things go bad, and all of the sudden it is a different story. All of the sudden can God be trusted? We tend to believe that for some reason God wants to give us nothing but exactly what we want. And that blows my mind, because the Bible teaches us that God is giving us exactly what we need. But when God lets things come into our lives that we see as what we don’t need, we question His sovereignty.

The Bible says that God will never leave us, and never forsake us. It says that there is nothing that comes through our lives that is out of His control. That’s right, you read that right, There is nothing that comes into the Christian life that is out of God’s control. Nothing takes God by surprise, and God cannot be rendered helpless. So no matter what the circumstances of your life, understand, that God is not out of control, but also understand that God is not in our control either. We do not control God. 

Now what I don’t want you to hear me say is that God puts bad things into your life, nothing could be further from the truth. But we do learn from the book of Job that God allows bad things in our lives for the purpose of righteousness. So don’t see God as a mean capricious God, but see Him as a loving Father. 

Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” This passage from the wisest man who ever lived, says three things to me. . .

1.      Trust is a choice. You and I get to choose rather or not that we will trust God and in that trust find peace.

2.      Trust doesn’t always make sense. God’s way does not always make sense. Think of Joshua when God told him to march around Jericho and then scream and the walls would come down. How many times do you think Joshua said to himself, “What the heck am I doing?”

3.      Trust is ultimately the only way to go if we are to stay where God wants us to be. If we are to live life, and live it the way that God has made us and intends us to live it, we must trust. Solomon says trust will make our paths straight, the opposite of straight is crooked. Need I say anything else?

Brennan Manning wrote a book entitled, “Ruthless Trust”. I like that, it shows a determination of trust. That is what God calls us to. That is what you have to cling to, that is what separated those who have peace, and those who have turmoil.

Trust.  

Live it.  

Embrace it.  

I love you guys. Have a great week.

 Pastor Jason Lyle

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

Hebrews 10:39