WHY TRUST IN GOD?

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.

Psalm 25:1-3

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

“In God We Trust.” Take a look at the money we use in the United States and you will find the four word proclamation.

The motto was created in 1861 and Congress approved the motto to be minted on coins in 1864. The first coins that would carry the inscription were two-cent coins produced in 1864 and  most coins in the U.S. have bore the inscription since 1938. Paper money was printed with the motto beginning in 1957.

Additionally, the 84th Congress passed law in July 1956 declaring “In God We Trust” as the national model of the United States. In other words, the nation of the United States makes it known to all that it is a nation that has faith in God.

But does it? Do people in the United States truly trust in God? And if we asked someone if they did and they asked why they should, are we ready to answer the question? Are we ready to defend the importance of having a steadfast faith in God?

 We need to be and the Bible is the perfect place to draw our answers from and direct people to for their own study.

As the 25th Psalm begins, David begins to offer insight into the importance of trusting in God. Look at the first three verses:

In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.

Well before the United States chose to use the motto, David was exclaiming where he put his trust. There was no doubt that David, a man after God’s own heart, was placing his faith in the Lord who watched over him. He had faced a lot of adversity and danger, but in every instance, God was with him, protecting and delivering.

So what do we have to gain through stating our trust and faith in God?

We find two key things in the words of David.

First, we are kept from shame.

It’s true that we are all afflicted with sin and thus prone to rebel and disobey God’s expectations, actions that place us in shameful disfavor with a God who despises sin. So how do we avoid the shame that comes through sinful behavior? We place our faith and trust in the Lord who will always guide us away from sin.

David understood that he couldn’t possibly police himself and avoid sin. This is why he asked God to not let him be put to shame. David asked God to give him the direction needed to ensure his life was pleasing to the Lord he loved and served. We need to do likewise to stay in God’s favor.

The second thing David knew he had to gain by trusting God was protection. When you read of the story of David, there were many occasions when he was in danger but was kept from harm, not because of his own doing but because God delivered him from those who wished to do him harm.

Not only can each of personally gain the same protection but we can collectively as a nation if we, like David, place our trust in God. Many nations would like to do us harm and we should not be foolish and arrogant to think we can defend ourselves. God has allowed powers similar to America to be destroyed. The Bible contains many examples of empires that fell because they didn’t worship and trust God. We would be well suited to not repeat the mistakes of the past.

So we know we can be kept from shame and protected if we place our trust in God. But the scriptures share a few other benefits. Let’s look at those and at what God provides those who place their faith in Him:

1. Straight paths to walk.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6

When we trust in the Lord fully, we are not only kept from the shame of sinful living but we’re guided and directed through life. Life is definitely a journey with many paths to choose from. In fact, there are so many choices that it can become very confusing sometimes as to which course of action is the right one or even the best one if there is more than one right choice. In these situations, we can either opt to rely on our own heart and understanding or we can submit our decision to God, trusting that He will always point us the right way, making the path we travel straight and proper.

2. Prosperity.

“Those who trust in the Lord will prosper.” Proverbs 28:25

Who doesn’t wish for prosperity in life? We all do but how we define prosperity can be different, can’t it?

The world’s idea of prosperity is typically material-related. A person who is rich has loads of money to afford everything they desire. A big house. Fancy cars. Large bank accounts. And if we’re not careful, we can get sucked into this prosperity model and gauge everything we do or have on it. Maybe you do already.

The danger in this attitude is that we can feel poor when we are indeed rich. This is because we are looking for blessings in the wrong places. David saw his prosperity, not only in his kingship, but also in his relationship with God. He knew God was the only One who could keep him from shame and protect him. He knew that all he had, tangible and intangible, was from God.

We should adopt David’s look on things. For God blesses us so richly and we often don’t even thank Him for it. The very beating of your heart and sustaining breaths you are taking while reading this are gifts from the God who sustains you and keeps you alive to His service. Don’t ever take that for granted. And if we count the number of heartbeats and breaths we take each day and count them as blessings, who isn’t prospering?

Indeed, God does bless us abundantly. Break down your life into micro-levels and you will see everywhere that God is alive and well, doing great things for you and helping you prosper in and through Him.

3. Strength against adversity.

“Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.” Psalm 125:1

In a later Psalm, David relayed on one other byproduct of a trust in the Lord: strength against adversity. Many things in life will bring us challenge and often try and shake our life’s foundation but those who place their full faith and trust in God will not be shaken, the foundation they stand on in Him cannot be moved.

When things get tough and we wonder if we’ll be able to make it, the Lord will protect and guide and provide us strength to persevere, eventually bringing us through the trial if we place our hope in Him. Isaiah put it like this in one of my favorite Bible passages:

Do you not know? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  

Isaiah 40:28-31

Why should we trust in God?

To receive perfect guidance through all of life’s circumstances. To gain wisdom and understanding no one can fathom. To be given strength when we’re weary and power when we’re weak. To be protected from matters of life that may bring us harm. To be granted renewed strength to soar and run and walk, not faint.

Yes, our faith and trust in God gives us all this and so much more. My prayer is that you will place their hope in Him today and allow Him to bring His prosperity into your life forever.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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