Faith is essential for us as Christians. Part of faith is believing in God and in Jesus Christ, His Son. But part of faith is also trusting in Jesus and God the Father. Trusting in God means to depend upon who He is and upon His promises to us. Living our lives by faith means that we believe and trust Him completely and live our lives seeking Him and His will for us.
King Hezekiah was a good king of Judah; he completely trusted in the Lord. 2 Kings 18:5-6 “He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses.” Since King Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, he was blessed by the Lord. When we trust in the Lord, we are like a big green tree that is well watered. Jerimiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.” I encourage you to trust in the Lord and be like this green tree.
Do not trust in material things or in money or in riches. Paul instructed Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:17 “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” Riches are uncertain and can vanish away. Matthew 6:19-20 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Earthly riches will fail you and they cannot provide the spiritual blessings that God provides when you trust in Him.
Do not trust in yourself. Luke 18:9-10 “Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.’” Jesus continues with the story of the two men. The Pharisee trusted in himself and was not justified before God, but the tax collector asked for God’s mercy and was justified. You cannot save yourself. Your righteousness is totally insufficient before God. You will fail. Instead, you must trust in Him and His righteousness and His grace.
Where else can we place our trust? Many times we trust in our friends or in our earthly family or even in our spiritual family. It is good to be able to trust those around us, but sometimes they will fail us. We trust in our government to protect us and to serve us, but sometimes our government fails us. People can disappoint and fail us. Instead, trust in God.
Sometimes we trust in tomorrow. We trust that in the future we will be able to pay off a loan or we will be able to accomplish what needs to be done. But James teaches us in James 4:13-14 “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” We do not know what will happen tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come for us or we may have an accident or lose our health. We cannot trust in tomorrow. Instead, trust in God.
To trust in God is to trust His power, His righteousness, His salvation, His truth, His way, and His promises. There are many promises of God that we can trust. He promises to give us eternal life. Jesus said in John 10:27-28 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” His promise is that He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” He loves you. Romans 8:31-32 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
When you trust in God that He is in control, that He loves you and cares for you and He is working in your life, this should free you of fear, worry and anxiety. You need not fear what will happen; God is in control. Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’” You need not worry. Matthew 6:25-26 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” You need not be anxious. Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Why fear, worry or be anxious? You are trusting in God. You can instead have peace. Isaiah 26:3-4 “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.”
Having complete trust in God will change your whole life. Regardless of what trials come into your life, you can have peace. The Apostle Paul trusted in God. 2 Timothy 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” I encourage you to have faith – a faith that not only believes in God, but a faith that also trusts in Him in all things.