Introduction
2) Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.Psalm 2:12 (KJV)
In this Psalm David states that all who put their trust in God are blessed. What a powerful and comforting promise!
Trusting God is important, especially given the long and confusing paths that comprise a lifetime.
In fact, we can only get out of this life alive by trusting God above all else, both for salvation and in sanctification. (Jn. 3:3, Phil. 1:6)
However, much as we do not care to admit it, trusting God daily doesn’t always come easily for us.
This sin drenched world isn’t our home, we’re merely strangers in it and it wears us down. We continually battle against our flesh and the devil throughout our earthly lives.
As such, it is vital we consistently and regularly trust God to meet all our needs. (Phil. 4:19)
In this lesson we’re going to look at what it means to trust God every day, including how we can cultivate a daily trust in him. We’ll also cover why trusting God is so important.
Evidence That We Trust God
A good way to measure if your trust in God is an everyday kind of trust is to examine your life for evidence.
Surely you trusted God when you first came unto him for salvation, but what kind of trust do you have now?
We must remember that faith that saves is never alone. On the contrary, works follow saving faith, and those works both imply and confirm our trust in God. (Jas. 2:17)“Is your trust in Jesus exemplified in your daily comings and goings? Is your trust in him reflected in the choices you make every day?”
Put another way, we can say that we trust God (probably all Christians do) however saying we trust God without any evidence to back up such a claim is merely self-deception. (Jas. 1:22)
Therefore, is your trust in Jesus exemplified in your daily comings and goings?
Is your trust in him reflected in the choices you make every day? Do you choose sin or God’s promises? The wide gate or the narrow?
Trust in God is meant to be a continual hallmark of the Christian life, and a constant driver of sanctification.
We are not to trust God once and never again. Nor are we to trust some of God’s promises, or his work in some areas of our lives but not others.
If we trust God in such ways, we waver, and are tosssed to and fro like sea waves. (Jas. 1:6)
Rather, we must acknowledge him in all our ways. (Prov. 3:6) To “acknowledge” God means to know him, and we cannot know God without trusting him. (Heb. 11:6)“We are not to trust God once and never again. Nor are we to trust some of God’s promises, or his work in some areas of our lives but not others.”
The good news is that when we do trust him in everything, then he shall direct our paths. (Prov. 3:6)
Trusting God then results in a consistent, Godly way of living, even when our feelings and the devil tell us otherwise, even when they make it hard for us to trust God.
Moreover, an everyday trust undoubtedly manifests itself externally as we follow God, keep his commandments and shine a light for him.
However, if we do not trust him, fall at his feet, deny ourselves and believe his words and ways than we will never get anywhere.
Next we will look at how trusting God correlates to being obedient to him.
Trust Demonstrates Allegiance to God
An everyday trust in God tells us and others where our true allegiance lies.
Think of it this way. Do the actions of your life speak to others that you trust God above all else?
Its an important question we all must continually ask ourselves.
People follow leaders they trust, and God is the ultimate leader. We owe him our trust.
If we say that we trust God, then when the storms of life reign hard upon us, when seasons of despair bring us down, wouldn’t we remain calm and not panic? (Is. 26:3)“If we really believe and trust in God, our actions – where we go, how we speak, and the decisions we make – will demonstrate our allegiance to God.”
If God means as much to us as he ought, wouldn’t we choose to keep away from sin’s poisonous allures and instead trust that God’s ways are better, and wouldn’t we gladly rest in his protection from sin’s destructiveness? (Rom. 12:1, 1 Cor. 10:13)
Moreover, if we really trust him, wouldn’t we resist the devil and plead to others to do the same? (Jas. 4:7)
Ultimately, if we really believe and trust in God, our actions – where we go, how we speak, and the decisions we make – will demonstrate our allegiance to God.
Such trust enables us to be conformed to him. (Rom. 8:29) It makes us Christ-like by allowing us to lean into God’s plans for us without trepidation.
It helps us step heavenward as we grieve not the Holy Spirit, and it affords us blessings that come from following God’s commands and paths instead of ours.
Remember, trust defines and declares to whom we pledge our allegiance to. Trusting God every day is essential.
Now we will turn our attention towards looking at how to trust God daily.
Trust Requires Action
Because of sin, trusting God is not something we automatically do. Even salvation, which is entirely a God initiated and carried out process, still demands a response. (Jn. 6:44, Eph. 2:4-5, Heb. 11:6)
Additionally, following God requires our cooperation and a constant alertness and mortification of our fleshly desires. (Eph. 4:30, Eph. 5:8-9, Rom. 8:13)“Trusting God every day involves a conscious turning away from trusting others, objects, things and ourselves.”
Thus we can only follow God to the extent that we trust him and take up our cross daily. (Lk. 9:23)
This means we must remind ourselves each and every day to trust God.
In fact, because of our tendency towards forgetfulness, apathy and sin, the Bible places a great emphasis on continually remembering God’s words.
We are commanded to remember and trust God when we are young, to stand fast in what we have been taught and to write his commands upon the tables of our hearts (Ecc. 12:1, 2 Thess. 2:15, Prov. 7:3)
But remembering is only half the battle. Action must come after remembrance. As David states in our main verse, we have to put our trust in God. (Ps. 2:12)
Trusting God every day involves a conscious turning away from trusting others, objects, things and ourselves.
It means that each morning we acknowledge and lean on God alone to get us through the day ahead.
So far, we’ve seen how trust brings evidence, how it confirms our allegiance to God, and that it is not automatic, it requires action on our part.
As we wrap up this lesson we will learn why trusting God is so important.
Why Trust God Every Day?
David states that “blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” (Ps. 2:12) Therein lies a key reason (among many other Biblical reasons) to trust God – we are blessed when we trust him.
However, we do not trust God in order to become rich or famous. Nor do we trust in him for self-serving reasons.“We must remember that the mere act of trusting in God is a blessing in and of itself.”
Rather, we trust him because it is the only right thing to do – ultimately there is no other option. (Jn. 14:6) Also, we trust God because we are commanded to do so.
Notice closely the use of the word “are” in David’s sentence. We are blessed by trusting God. A state of being blessed is conditional to trusting God.
David does not say that we will be blessed by God or that we might be blessed by God when we trust him. Instead he states that we are blessed the moment we trust him.
This is a critical distinction. We must remember then that the mere act of trusting in God is a blessing in and of itself.
God owes us nothing, and yet he grants us the very privilege of trusting in him. What a blessing!“An everyday trust in God takes the focus off of ourselves. It removes the power of sin from destroying and enslaving us, casts away the enticements of the devil and lets us be effective servants for Jesus.”
And yet there are even more blessings that go beyond the blessing of being given the opportunity to trust the God of the universe. Think about the following…
An everyday trust in God takes the focus off of ourselves. It removes the power of sin from destroying and enslaving us, casts away the enticements of the devil and lets us be effective servants for Jesus.
These are just a few of the many other blessings that come from trusting God.
Nevertheless, these additional blessings are just icings on the proverbial cake.
What is important to remember is that when trusting God is a struggle we can know that we are blessed by him for our trust in him, even in the absence of any visible and tangible blessings.
And don’t take my word for it, this is what God said through David. Its God’s promise to us and he does not lie. (Tit. 1:2)
Again, we don’t deserve anything from God, yet how blessed are those whose minds are open to his perfect way?
How blessed are we whose ears have been granted worthy by the Holy Spirit to comprehend and understand God’s truths?
May we then, when we awaken to start each day anew, rest in and relish the blessing of trusting God.
Conclusion
Trusting in God daily, while essential for all believers, does not always come easily. It takes commitment and sacrifice.
Christians who strive to trust God every day acknowledge, even when their flesh, the world and the devil tell them otherwise, that God’s way is best.
They back up their trust with evidence, and their trust in God is visible to the world; it demonstrates to others allegiance to God.
Trusting God every day also requires action, we must choose to put our trust in God.
Yet, in all of this, God has promised to bless those who trust him. In fact, a state of being blessed is conditional to trusting God.
Therefore, may we trust him each and every day, little by little and in so doing may we stand ever more firm in him.
He is our refuge, in him alone must we trust. (Ps. 62:8)
Soli Deo gloria!
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Image Credit
Watering Place at Marly, 1875 by Alfred Sisley, French, 1839-1899. Oil on canvas. The Art Institute of Chicago. Gift of Mrs. Clive Runnells. 1971.875.