My husband and I were talking one day about trusting the Lord, and why we trust Him for some things, or with some people but not others. We say, in effect, “Here Lord, You can have that, but not this.”
Basically, trust is confidence that what we believe about a person or thing is true. As a verb, it means to have trust or confidence in, rely on. Synonyms are: lean, acknowledge, depend.
Waiting goes hand-in-hand with trusting.
Wait means: to stay or rest in expectation-remain in a state of inaction.
We get tired of waiting on His timing. We have preconceived notions of how things should go and when they don’t go our way, we try to pick up the reins and stop trusting Him.
Eve, the first woman to give birth, said, “With the LORD’s help, I have produced a man!” (Genesis 4:1)
Abraham took his only son, Isaac, the promised son, to Moriah to sacrifice him as a burnt offering. God told him to do this. Isaac was like, “Dad, where’s the sheep?” I can only imagine the mind traffic going on in these guys heads while they were on their way, but they trusted God and He provided a ram. (Genesis 22)
Moses’ mom hid him for three months because Pharaoh gave the order to throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River. She then let Pharoah’s daughter raise him. (Exodus 2)
Daniel was thrown in the lions’ den, but:
Daniel 6:23b Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.
We also have Mary and Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26), Ananias regarding Saul (Acts 9:10-19), Paul (Acts 9;24:12, etc), and Stephen(Acts 7) as wonderful examples of total trust in God.
God spoke to them personally and through angels, visions and dreams.
Sometimes, we tend to see these as stories, but these were real people like you and me.
I’ve had dreams and visions that I am waiting to come to pass. Sometimes, I think about picking up the reins, and then I hear, “Let it play out. I’ve got this.”
What is the result of putting your trust in God?
Psalm 32:10 Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD.
Psalm 115:11 All you who fear the LORD, trust the LORD! He is your helper; He is your shield.
Proverbs 29:25 Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety.
Jesus, in talking of the Father said, “I will put My trust in Him…” (Hebrews 2:13)
The ones I mentioned before also had to trust Him in others and trust that others heard Him, or had visions/dreams.
When my youngest son was 16, I took him and several other teenagers from Youth Group with me to the local food pantry to serve meals. At first, they were laughing and clowning around, but as soon as the first person stepped through the door to be served they responded with such Christ-like love and respect that I had a hard time holding back tears. They were awesome!
Someone I didn’t mention earlier trusted the LORD so much, that he wouldn’t allow his hen pecking wife to turn him from God. Job suffered much, but after all he’d been through, he said this:
Job 42:2 I know that You can do anything, and no one can stop You.
I love the dialog between God and Job in Job 38-40!
Psalm 33:20-22 We put our hope in the LORD. He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. Let Your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in You alone.
Psalm 37:5,7b Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust Him, and He will help you. Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for Him to act.
All He asks is that you hold still, that you stop trying and start trusting.
Remember that trust is confidence that what we believe about a person or thing is true.
Psalm 33:4 For the word of the LORD holds true, and we can trust everything He does.
He’s trustworthy.
Abba, thank You for showing us things to come. Thank You for guiding us in the right direction and working all things together according to Your plan. Help us to wait on You and to not pick up the reins. Thank You for the wonderful examples You have given us as encouragement. Father, we trust You and wait expectantly for Your word, visions and dreams to come to pass. We love you and we praise You. Amen and so be it.