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At the start of the new year, I shared my word of the year with you—consider. I have been trying to consider many things such as my thoughts, words, tone, actions, and reactions. I have asked friends to share their words with me and have used these as inspiration for writing my devotions. Last week I expanded on the word TRY. Other friends have shared their words as well. So, I will endeavor to write devotions based on their contributions. (Share your word with me too!) Even if we have a different word of the year, these words can complement and encourage us as well.
The new word in our series is TRUST.
I thought I’d share a page from my book, “Worship and Wonder: Fatih-filled Devotions.” It is aptly titled, “Trust.”
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Trust
It is honestly hard to trust someone we do not know very well. Just as our relationships with other people require time, authenticity, and intimacy, these are vital for growing our trust in the Lord too. If we want to trust God more fully, we must spend time in His Presence and in His Word more regularly. Through this act of communication, we will get to know Him increasingly more, and we will witness His love, faithfulness, and power come to life for us firsthand. Our initial step into a relationship with God is one of trust—trust that Jesus alone can save. This initial choice of faith forever changes the trajectory of our lives. From that moment on, growing our trust in the Lord happens one faith-filled step at a time—building in momentum and intensity as we go along. The more we trust God, the more He proves Himself to be completely trustworthy, inspiring our trust even more.
Psalm 9:10, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”
How have you seen God prove His trustworthiness in your life? How does this inspire you to trust Him more and more?
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Trust, belief, faith, and obedience to God go hand in hand. The Bible is filled with stories of individuals just like you and me—ordinary people who did extraordinary things because they trusted the Lord whole-heartedly.
Noah built an enormous ark in the middle of the desert, far from the sea, when rain had not yet been experienced. He was saved from the flood that brought worldwide destruction and given the promise of God’s faithfulness through a rainbow in the sky—all because he trusted God and obeyed His instruction.
Abraham stepped out in faith, left his homeland, and went to a place he had never seen before. He became the patriarch of Israel and the ancestor of Jesus, all because he believed. All who trust in the Lord are blessed along with him.
Sarah may have ordinarily trusted God, but in her moment of doubt she rushed ahead of His timing and plan and took matters into her own hands. She really messed things up, and as a result, her family suffered consequences and the Middle East conflict and repercussions are felt to this day. We don’t want to rush ahead of God when He tells us to wait!
Daniel trusted the LORD when he was thrown into a lion’s den. As a result, he was filled with peace and courage. His faith caused him to pray instead of panic. The sun rose, the lions were tamed, and David survived the night.
Daniel 6:23, “And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.”
Three friends named Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego refused to bow down and worship King Nebuchadnezzar. They were tied up and thrown into the fiery furnace, with the intent of being burned alive. The men were filled with faith, they believed the LORD could deliver them, they trusted in His goodness and power. They confidently proclaimed their allegiance to the One True God, and He saved them from harm. The fire was so hot that it charred the guards who were standing close by. But the men of faith emerged without even the smell of smoke on their clothes. Read their miraculous story:
Daniel 3:16-30, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”
They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”
He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
Then 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. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.”
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This is incredible trust! God asks us to trust Him when things don’t make sense; when situations seem impossible; when hurdles seem unsurmountable; when time seems to be running out or going on far too long. Trust, faith, and belief are a choice that we make. Trust is a purposeful decision that impacts our moments, days, weeks, years, lifetime, and legacy.
Go back and take a moment to reflect on the questions I posed above.
Let’s invest time in our relationship with God so that we come to know Him better. Then let’s determine to trust Him today!
Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
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