Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
To trust in someone means to believe them and rely on them.
As a child of God we are to rely on God through all things and for all things.
Proverbs 3:5 is one of the most important verses in the Bible pertaining to our Christian life and spiritual growth. It is definitely one that we should commit to memory and call upon often.
God wants His children to trust Him with all of our hearts and to never try to outthink Him based on our own knowledge.
Not only when things are going great, but also when things get difficult.
When things get difficult, our faith and trust get put to the test. During these times, we learn a lot about ourselves. We learn about our spiritual growth, our faith, our patience and our ability to trust God.
We must always remember that God has a purpose in everything that He allows to happen.
When one of life’s storms come our way, Satan will do all he can to cause doubt, fear and confusion in our mind.
However, God wants us to depend on Him, putting our trust and faith entirely in Him.
This lesson will briefly focus on our need to trust God completely and the need to “wait” upon Him.
He is our anchor, our only anchor, for any storm that comes our way.
GOD AND HIS PROMISES ARE OUR ANCHOR IN THE STORM
As certain as God has made us promises, there will come times in our lives when we simply have to trust Him and depend upon those promises.
When one of life’s storms rolls in, God wants us to depend upon Him and His promises. He wants us to learn that in Him, we will find shelter and refuge from any of life's storms.
At times it might be difficult to do, but we must do it, as He is our anchor and refuge for any of life’s storms that come our way.
God cannot lie and whatever He promises us, we know He will deliver.
Let’s look at six of those promises.
1. When God tells us He will never leave us nor forsake us, we must believe Him and trust Him.
Hebrews 13:5 KJV
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
2. When God tells us that He will meet all of our needs, we must believe Him and trust Him.
Philippians 4:19 KJV
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
3. When God tells us that all things work for good, for those who love Him, we must believe and trust.
Romans 8:28 KJV
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
4. When God promises to give strength to the weary, we must believe and trust.
Isaiah 40:31 KJV
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
5. When God promises that He will give us rest, we must believe and trust.
Matthew 11:28-30 KJV
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
6. When God tells us His grace is sufficient to meet all of our needs, we must believe Him and trust Him.
2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
TRUST OFTEN REQUIRES PATIENCE ON OUR PART
“Wait” is a word that we generally don’t care for.
Remember as a child, when being told to wait usually meant an “eternity” in earthly hours? It was difficult then and hasn’t got any easier for lots of folks.
Waiting requires patience on our part and it is an active process that we learn as we grow closer to God.
It is an active process in that we must exercise our trust and obedience to God. It requires learning that we are dependent on God and that He is in total control of all things.
Psalm 27:14 KJV
14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
The truth is a big part of trusting God is being able to wait on Him.
And yes, we all know that trusting God in the good times, is much easier than waiting on God when things are not so good.
However, we must always remember that our timeline is not God’s timeline. His timing is not our timing, and He is in total control.
When we are experiencing a storm or difficulty, we usually want quick results.
However, God often uses these trials to strengthen our trust and faith. He always has a purpose, which we cannot see or understand at the time, but becomes clear upon reflection later on.
Isaiah 40:31, which we looked at earlier, also tells us that God will renew the strength of those that WAIT upon Him.
Isaiah 40:31 KJV
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
In fact, patience or waiting is one of the truest forms of trust.
If we fret, fear or worry while we are waiting on God, we are not really trusting God at all.
One thing to always keep in mind is that while we are waiting on God, Satan will take the opportunity to instill doubt, fear or anxious thoughts in our mind.
This is when we must ask God to get Satan out of our minds and behind us. This is when we must devote much time to prayer, meditation and God’s promises to us in His Word.
If we focus our minds on God, realize that He is in total control and place our trust firmly in Him, then the waiting period becomes a spiritual growth period.
God wants His children to RELY upon Him and He will truly renew our strength.
He wants us to learn to wait, with good courage, and He will strengthen our heart.
Later, after the storm has passed, we will praise and thank Him for the lessons He taught us through it all.
Remember, He has a purpose for all things, and we learn and grow more through our valleys and storms, than other times.
The old hymn says it so well. “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
RVH