by Tim Howington
Chapter 9
Can I Trust Him?
The long and the short of it is simply an issue of trust. Can you and I trust God? Can you trust Him to make all things work out for good in your life? This is the essence of the faith walk: trust. Without faith (trust) it is impossible to please Him and faith (trust) is in its very nature a belief in things we cannot see. If you and I must walk by sight we will struggle in the faith walk. And if I am honest, it is at this point that I struggle. Can I trust Him?
My Dad passed away recently and as he was struggling through his last days I saw the fear in his eyes of uncertainty about death. He was a strong believer, but the reality of death had him shook up a bit. But he faced his fear with faith. The last time we were together he had seized on a few verses and repeated them over and over. At a time like that, it is the promises of Scripture that give hope. And I watched as he convinced and re-convinced himself of his trust in God. Oh, he may have looked like he was talking to me but he was speaking to his own heart and mustering up the faith to face his final battle. He finished strong!
This is the same process we go through in financial difficulties. We see how things are right now but cannot always see how they are going to turn out. So we convince and re-convince ourselves of God’s trustworthiness to take care of us. We know that we are to trust in the Lord with all our heart. We know that we are not supposed to lean on our own understanding. We know that we are to acknowledge Him in all our ways. We know that if we trust Him, then He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). But that is not easy to do. It takes faith.
When things get tight around my house, I tell my wife about our worst case scenario that she hates to hear. When she asks how bad it could get, I reply “well we might lose it all, our home, our transportation, our reputation and we may have to go live under a bridge somewhere but at least we will be together.” I share that not to make light of the homeless among us, but rather if we can envision and live with the worst case scenario, then we will probably be ok. The thing I need to add to that story is the reality that under our bridge God will be with us taking care of every step of the way. He promises never to leave or forsake us. He loves us and can be trusted. He really can!
Post Script
I can’t help but wonder at times why we are allowed to experience the trouble in this world that we are. Many point to an uncaring deity who is distant and uncaring. A God who spun the world in place and then folded His arms and said, “Hope it works out for you.” But, a discerning look at the Bible shows the very opposite. A caring Father who has given us enough rope to hang ourselves and hanged ourselves we have. I would be remiss if I didn’t at least share with you about the good news of the Bible.
Because of God’s great love for us, He sent His Son Jesus to die on a cross to pay the price for our sin. He experienced our trouble for us and made a way for us to rightly relate to the Father. Now He won’t force you to take His solution. He will allow you to experience your own trouble for your sin (which includes spiritual death and separation from the Father). But, if you and I are humble enough to admit that we have failed Him (committed sin). If we believe that Jesus’ death on the cross pays for our sins and then commit our lives to Him, we can experience eternal life and thereby get to enjoy the world that has no trouble.
Seems a little backwards I know, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it is the Trouble of this world that helps us understand that we need help and Someone to save us from this world and guide us into the next. I know some wonder about all this talk about the next world, but if God has indeed put eternity in our hearts we know that there is more to our life than what we are experiencing. We intuitively know that there is something more than this and our hearts tell us it is better. But the better life we crave is only found in Jesus. He says, “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.” Let Him take on your trouble and lead you through this world of trouble to the next world.
If finances have caused you to be interested in knowing more about how you relate to God know that God loves you and has a plan for you!
The Bible says, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, [Jesus Christ], that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” — a complete life full of purpose (John 10:10).
check out the website – www.peacewithgod.net