Trust in God for Confidence

FaithWalkDaily Novemer 12, 2008

KLOVE's Encouraging Word
Tuesday 11/11/2008

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. ~ Romans 15:13, NLT

Do we trust God?






Do we really trust God?







I've put these long spaces in this blog because I'm hoping it will encourage you to meditate on that thought, on the verse above.

I don't write these blogs because I'm such a spiritual giant that I can pour out my righteous messages for everyone else to be transformed into godly people. No, I journal my thoughts because just like most of you, I struggle daily with trusting God.

I can see my computer. I can feel the keys beneath my fingertips. I can surf the web for whatever I want. It can take me to places that are good, wholsome and holy, and it can take me to places that are full of darkness, madness, deceit, and evil. I know what my laptop is capable of. I use this piece of equipment every single day and I depend on it. I use it for ministry, to find information, for business, for art, communication, writing...For the most part, I can trust that this little machine will boot up every day and help me accomplish some things. It is good to me.

God I cannot see. How can I put my trust in something or someone I cannot touch? I cannot caress His glorious face. I cannot bow at His physical feet to worship Him. I cannot hear His voice nor feel his breath.

Or can I?

Where is my Lord here on this earth? He is in the brilliance of a painted sky at sunset. He is in the shimmering rocks splashed with icy waters in a rushing mountain creek. He is in the fresh clear water that quenches my thirst. He is in the air I breathe. He is in the food that nourishes me. He is in my soul. I can feel him in the sweet touch of a child's fingers toying with my hair. I can bow at His feet with my heart when I fall to my knees in praise and worship. I hear Him in the stillness of my heart when I sit quietly and meditate on His word. I can feel his holy breath on my neck in a soft summer breeze. God's presence is all around us all the time. He created our planet: all that dwells on it; all that nourishes it; all that feeds us; all that refreshes us; those that minister to us, and the fellowship we share.

This is not a new-agey concept of god in everything. This is the Scriptural concept of Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent God. The defining perspective here is omni, meaning universal. All covering. All encompassing.

So if we can wrap our minds around the fact that we're created, that we were created by the power that created EVERYTHING, isn't that cause to believe He can pretty much do whatever He wants? Any presence so great certainly has the eternal span spoken of in Scripture - Alpha and Omega - and the wisdom to know what to do with all He's created. The problem is not His lack of ability to control that which He created, the problem is us. It's our lack of obedience and trust.

We don't obey because we don't trust. If we trust, however God leads us, we will obey.

Sarah takes her 4 year old Jason to preschool for the first time. She points to a room and tells Jason to go in. He's afraid. He doesn't know what's in that room. He's never been there before. Sarah knows. She's toured the facility, met the teachers and is quite confident this is a safe and healthy place for her son to be. He will mature here, make new friends, learn new things, and find lots of joy in this place. But all Jason sees is a closed door to a room he's never been in. He's afraid to go in. She gives him a little nudge and he resists. She takes his hand and leads him to the door and opens it. Jason pulls back and digs his heels in. Inside the teacher waits, smiling, speaking words of welcome. Other children turn to look in curiosity. He's still resisting tearfully. He doesn't know these people and he's determined not to go in. Jason trusts his mom because he knows her. So finally, though hesitantly, he enters the room with a sniffle and gratefully accepts a hug from Mommy. "Good boy, Jason. Mommy's proud of you! See you soon," she says as she turns to go.

Aren't we a bit like little Jason when it comes to God? We know Him. Of course we do - He created us. We read His word every day. We believe it because He says it. But when we get to that door, aren't we too afraid to go into the unknown?

How do we get to the point of trusting Him - not just reading the words and believing intellectually, but believing in our hearts that He is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do? How do we step into the unknown fully trusting God's sovereignty?

Part of that is the work of the Holy Spirit. The rest is history. We read the Old Testament and see what God has done. We see what God says He will do. We see that what God said about saving His people was true as Jesus life was fulfilled. And because all that verifies the truth of His word, we can believe that Jesus will indeed return for us just as He said He would. We can believe intellectually, and the Holy Spirit confirmed it in our hearts when we came into Christ in faith. We trusted Jesus by the nudge of the Holy Spirit, Sent from our Father who created us.

God is the source of hope. When we trust Him, peace and joy are the side effects. May we overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit, as You lead us to that place where You send us out on our own, fill us with that peace which we find in God who is our hope. Would that become our confident hope through Your Spirit, to go forth in the work for which You've already planned for us in advance. Today I'm making a decision to fully trust in You, no matter what. In Jesus' name, amen.

Thoughts on our Nation