Knowing and Trusting God
Today I am going to talk about what it means to know and trust God. When we know and trust God, we are able to know and believe what He says. God is a promise keeper and He tells us that a relationship with Him is not just a feeling, it's a commitment to having faith in what He says even when things around us seem to indicate something different.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God wants us to trust in Him and his plans. It’s a pretty common verse but we can trust that God has a plan for everything in whatever circumstance we are in.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10
Isaiah 41:10 is saying that we can find strength in Jesus and do anything through God when life is difficult.
If we put our trust in the flesh and let the enemy and flesh control things it won’t end well. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The enemy will convince us of things that aren’t true. He will tell us we are worthless or unwanted or we are too broken, beyond repair, too hard to handle, and so many other things. We have to rebuke those lies and trust what God says about us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and He created us for a purpose. God tells us we don’t need to be anxious, but we as humans are flawed so we will be anxious and believe the lies, but we have to trust God even if the lies feel true. In Genesis, Abraham chose to trust God. God told Him and Sarah they will have a son. They called their son Isaac. Abraham had to trust God when he and Isaac went for a walk and God told him to sacrifice his son. Abraham had faith and trust in God and at the end of the story, God told him to sacrifice a goat instead.
Another person with great trust in God is Job. He lost everything he had and speaks of his great sadness and anxiety. Job kept trusting God anyways. That’s hard to do in the trials we face every day. We need to trust God is in control. For me, control is so hard and giving God control and trusting Him is hard. All I want to do is have control of things in life. We can trust God and learn more about Him through worship, reading the Word, and prayer. God knows what will happen next. We need to trust what Jesus did for us on that cross. God sent His one and only Son to die for our sins. We have to trust and have faith that this is true. Even though it can feel like a one-way conversation at times, God can speak to us through people, our thoughts, music, and the Bible. This world is full of distractions, but we must keep our focus on God.
Trusting in God will increase your confidence in approaching Him. God has always been faithful. This verse follows the reassurance that if you believe what God says is true and you put your trust in Jesus, you have eternal life. That promise is where our confidence and trust come from. God’s will for you is to know Him through a relationship with Jesus and to love Him and others as you grow to be more like Jesus. If you are confident that you are His because of a relationship with God through Christ, you can trust that He hears you when you pray, and He provides for you in ways that fulfill His will.
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”
Psalm 56:3
As David, the king of Israel who wrote many of the Psalms, faced the threat of captivity by his enemies, he wrote that all his trust was in God. He was surrounded by people who wanted to harm him. Instead of giving in to fear, he cried out to the Lord, trusting Him to be in control of the situation.
You may not be surrounded by an army wanting to harm you, but there will be times when you are afraid. It’s human. The Bible says more than 300 times to not be afraid. God knows you need that reminder. Yet, just like David, when you are afraid, you can go to God. You can admit your fear to Him. Trust that He will care for you. He does not let His people down.
“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
Psalm 62:8
God is a safe place. He is a refuge when we are afraid. A refuge is a safe place to run to — a place of safety amid chaos. God says you can trust Him and put everything in His hands because He is powerful, reliable and constant. You can run to Him for security and protection instead of running to things or to other people. He will never fail you. If you know God personally, no worldly harm you may suffer can keep you from coming safely into His arms in His kingdom.
Prayer
Lord, I pray that you help us trust you more. I pray we know you, Lord, not just know of You, but know You and have a relationship with You. Amen.