“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” Ps 20:7. Trust in God is belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Way, the Truth and that He gives us eternal life. Jo 14:6. It is having complete reliance on Jesus Christ so that through Him we can have strength in our weakness. Phil 4:13. Trust is belief with confidence in God’s divine faithfulness. Trust knows that He cares for us and will safely bring us home to Heaven as we follow Him. Our love relationship with God is based on our faith and trust in the Lord. He loved us when we did not know Him, but when we come to know Him we will grow in trust. 1Jo 4:19. Our faith grows as we learn to trust God in every area of our lives. We learn to trust God as we listen for His still small voice and know that we hear it when we see the results. 1Ki 19:12. It is because of developing a hearing ear of His still small voice inside that I was able to trust Him and move out in faith as He led me into the nation of China.
There are several levels of faith that are active in the lives of Christians. One is the faith we come to Christ with. That is like a baby taking his first step. That baby doesn’t really trust, but rather is taking growth steps. Some believers remain in the first stage step all their Christian life. They ask Jesus Christ into their lives, but leave the relationship there and never grow. Trust comes from growing in your love relationship with Jesus. You see Him do small things for you and you begin to know that God hears your prayers and has your best interests in mind.
Trust grows as you pray and Jesus answers your prayers. We have been walking through a tough time with our family. As we pray together we daily remind each other that God has a plan and He knows exactly what we are going through. Recently we were in special need and we set our faces towards God in prayer. When we finished praying five minutes later the phone rang. God answered our prayer completely.
When you fully can trust God you can put everything into His hands. Relationships that formally you have felt you need to direct or have your hands on you can rest in. Years ago my husband was a smoker and a heavy drinker. No amount of nagging from me worked. As I grew in my relationship with the Lord I placed Ralph into His hands through prayer. I saw God answering my knee prayers as I interceded for him. It was a learning time of leaving him in God’s hands. I had to learn not to pick him up again, but to leave him in God’s hands knowing that my responsibility was to pray. Over the period of a few years Ralph went from smoking cigarettes to smoking a pipe. One day he walked over to a cupboard, set his pipe in it and never picked it up to smoke again. It was the same way with his drinking.
Sometimes we pray sincerely about something we desire very much, yet our prayer is not answered the way we want. Sometimes the answer is no and we do not understand why. It can be an illness or a wayward child, a handicap or a loved one slipping away. As we seek the face of the Lord we must put our trust in Him for He has a plan and purpose for everything that is allowed to happen in our lives. Most of the time He doesn’t let us in on the plan, but He has a plan. We can safely trust that He has our welfare and the welfare of our loved ones in His hands.
Currently we are walking through more trust lessons. I know the anguish that Abraham felt when he placed his son on the altar. We are praying for our son who has Lou Gehrig’s disease and walking through it with him. There have been many visions from unconnected people and dreams of his physical healing. Many healing words have been given from Scripture which have settled into all our spirits to believe for his healing, but the fact remains that he has not been healed yet. God has told me to keep my eyes on Him, pray and trust in Him. Mt 19:26.
In the midst of our son’s illness I have had to also lay one of our daughter’s on the altar. Her heart disease has progressed and she could be facing a heart-lung transplant in the near future. Again we trust that God knows and has a plan for her life. As long as we are faithful to pray He will guide and provide for her. It is a scary thing for a young girl to go through, but as I thought on the matter I was reminded what a miracle that she was able to get an open heart surgery in China before coming to us. I was reminded of the unusual circumstances that this daughter of destiny came to us. We were trying to bring our first adopted daughter’s friend home from China, but because it was a pre-identified adoption they denied us.
Our paperwork was aging out so our agency told us if we still wanted to adopt again we should go to websites and view Special Needs children whom the China government would allow you to pre-identify. When I saw her picture I knew she was ours.
Later when we went to bring her home a woman also traveling in our adoption group said that she was praying for over a year that someone would adopt our daughter. Many times already she could have gone home to be with the Lord, but each time God has intervened and her life has been spared for a purpose. Truly her times are in His hands, not in mine. I trust that God will allow her to live each day He has allotted for her to serve Him. Ro 8:28.
God is the God of miracles and He has His own way of releasing those miracles. The Bible tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Pr 3:5, 6. Some trust in anything other than the Lord. They trust in their own abilities, in cars, horses, money, doctors, etc. There is one thing you can be sure of in this matter of trust; when we trust in the Lord everything will come out right.
Many nations who have entered into wars have trusted in the military might and their weapons of warfare, but there are nations that have trusted in the Lord and seen great things happen. In war, tanks and horses will be far left in the dust compared to the hand of God entering a battle. Many cannot trust beyond what they can see with their earthly eyes.
In 1917, British Forces marched into Jerusalem to uproot the Turks who held the city. Edmund “The Bull” Allenby, a Christian, was the General leading the army. He had concern in his heart for the people in Jerusalem. He prayed and during his Bible reading he felt he had an answer of what he was to do. “For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof. As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.” Is 31:4, 5.
Edmund knew the emblem of the British was a lion. The Scripture had said that God would fight for Zion, meaning Jerusalem, as a lion. He then knew from the Scripture how the battle would be won. He felt the birds flying meant for them to fly small scout planes over Jerusalem. They dropped notes in the Turkish language demanding the Turks to surrender the city. The Turks had never seen an airplane so they were afraid. They gave up Jerusalem without a fight and the British watched over the Holy City of Jerusalem until 1948 when Israel became a nation.
Children have more trust than adults. A child’s trust in God is reflected in this story. In April of this year a 10 year-old Georgia boy was released by a kidnapper after he sang praises to God. The boy was kidnapped in front of his own home while playing. For three hours while in being held by the kidnapper he sang, “Every praise is to our God, Every word of worship with one accord,” he sang, “God my savior, God my healer, God my deliverer, Yes, He is.” The kidnapper got so mad he cursed him and finally released the boy unharmed out of the vehicle. Ps 91:2, 3.
Since life on earth is our testing ground for Heaven we must trust that the trials are preparing us to grow more and gain greater understanding of Him and His ways. Pr 3:11, 12. He gives us experiences that cause us to grow and move in His compassion, and ones that help polish us for Heaven. He loves to stretch us. Sometimes I have felt like a rubber band that has been stretched to the tightest place it can reach without breaking. In that place of discomfort His presence is sweet.
I have learned not to question God when things happen. He knows our name and address and all that is going on in our lives. He allows things to happen and He has His own reasons; His will be done. The best way to walk through adversity is to set your eyes like flint on Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Heb 12:2.
Is Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? He is much more than an earthly king; He is the King of Kings. Can you trust Him? He made you and He can fix you. Trust Him my friend and you will not be disappointed. Jer 29:11.