Tag: Trusting God

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

Uncertainty Is Certain: Trusting God for Every Tomorrow – Marco Silva (DG)

We Never Had Control – Robert Cutillo (TGC)

Don’t Waste Your Ruined Plans – Gaye Clark (TGC)

Normal Again, Thanks to COVID-19 – Ric Rodeheaver (TGC)

It’s Not Often in Life You Get a Do-Over (So Take the Do-Over!) – Tim Challies

Don’t Let Coronavirus Steal Your Corporate Worship – Rob Hill (TGC)

Hope you have a good Lord’s Day gathered as best you can with your local church.

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some helpful posts for your weekend reading:

We May Be Confused, but God Isn’t – Paul David Tripp (Crossway)
Today you’ll encounter things that will confuse you, but rest assured the One who rules all those things is not confused.

Locked Down Alone – Tim Challies
But what about those living alone? They are dealing with the lack of physical touch for weeks on end and have no one to keep them company in-person. If you or someone you know is living alone and is about to go into lockdown, you’ll benefit from hearing wise words from those who have been living alone in lockdown for 10 days or more.

Leverage Your Loneliness – Rusty McKie (TGC)
Our first hurdle in the days to come is to choose not to make our lonely places loud places. This moment in history is spoonfeeding us the opportunity to get still and silent with our God. Hidden in this pandemic is an invitation from him to draw near, to be still, and to know that he is God—even though it may feel the whole earth is crashing down around us (Ps. 46).

7 Suggestions for Finding Joy in Isolation – Kimberly Wagner
Breath some fresh air. It’s dangerous to stay cooped up with the Pandemic for too long—I’m not suggesting getting in crowds, but find spaces to safely move outdoors and enjoy the sunshine or rain shower. Listen to the birds, feel a breeze, and take time to thank the Creator for the changing of seasons and spring’s reminder that He makes all things new.

Trusting God In Suffering, Sacrifice, Disease and Death: A Lost Art? – Peter Adam (TGC)
What amazes me most when I read of the lives of Christians who lived before the 1950’s is their positive attitude to suffering, disease, and death. They expected to suffer, they were willing to suffer, and welcomed it as God’s gift. They expected to have diseases, and could welcome them as God’s gifts. And they could welcome death, knowing that ‘to die is gain’ (Philippians 1:22), and looking forward to the joys of eternal life with Christ.

6 Things to Do with Your Anxiety – Justin Taylor
Your mind loses its grip. Fear and anxiety have taken over. Nothing’s safe or certain. Anxiety is a universal human experience, and you need to approach it with a plan.

Why Being Discouraged About Not Gathering as the Church is A Good Sign – Joey Tomlinson  So we are discouraged. We may even be depressed. But here is the good news- your emotions may be telling you, ‘this isn’t how things are meant to be’. So the moment the elders of your church prayerfully decide to open the doors, come. Come and be refreshed by those means the Lord has given us to worship Him and be spiritually built up in Christ. Come with a fresh, biblical perspective on the importance of Lord’s Day corporate worship.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day!

Genesis 18-23: Trusting God

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(18-23) Our God is trustworthy because he keeps his promises. What promises does God make in this passage?

How do you see God keeping his promises in this passage?

(18-23) Our God is trustworthy because he provides for his people. What examples of his provision do you see in this passage?

How have you seen his provision in your life?

(18-23) Our God is trustworthy because he protects his people. What examples of his protection do you see in this passage?

Does that mean we will never be hurt or threatened or die? What does it mean according to the passage? How have you seen his protection in your life?

(20) Genesis 20 records an example of Abraham’s failure to trust God. What do you observe about his failure?

When do you see similar failures in your life? Why?

(22) Genesis 22 records an amazing example of Abraham’s faith in God. Why was the test so hard? Why was it necessary (see v12)?

What are you tempted to put before God?

Why was Abraham’s faith in God essential to pass the test? What did he believe God would do? (v5 & 8; see also Hebrews 11:17-19)

In what situations do you need to trust God right now? From this passage, what do you need to do to trust God in those situations?

Walking in the Dark

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant?
Let him who walks in darkness and has no light
trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.
– Isaiah 50:10

You have been there.
Walking in the dark.
With no light.
Nothing makes sense.
You don’t understand.
You wonder why.
Where is God in the midst of this?
Why is this happening to me?

And in the midst of darkness, God calls us to trust him.
To trust him in that trial.
To trust him in that struggle.
To trust him in the midst of that turmoil, that sorrow, that pain.

Just trust him.
Keep looking to him.
Rely on him.
Lean on him.
Rest in him.

Whatever dark paths you may be on today,
trust in the name of the Lord and rely on your God.
And he will hold you up.

Who Will You Trust?

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

In Isaiah 36-37, we are confronted with the question: who will we trust?

Will we trust in other people? Judah trusted in Egypt to help them, but Egypt was “a broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it” (36:6). And so other people will fail us too – whether they mean to or not. They are not strong enough, big enough to take care of all the trials that come against us. Like us, they are broken.

Will we trust in ourselves? Assyria mocked Judah, saying that even if Assyria provided them with 2000 horses, Judah could not put riders on them (36:8-9). So how could Judah overcome even the smallest part of Assyria’s army? We too are tempted to trust in our own strength, our own plans. But like Judah, our strength is often too weak, and our plans too often fail.

Will we trust in our trials? That seems odd, but it is entirely possible to believe that our trials are so powerful, that the only thing we can do is give up to them. That is what Assyria encouraged Judah to do – give up to the Assyrians (36:16-17). And we are often tempted to just give up in the face of our trials.

Or will we trust in the Lord? Will we trust in the Lord who alone is God over all the kingdoms of this world? Will we trust in the Lord our God who loves us and is with us? Will we trust in the Lord of Hosts who has all of the hosts of heaven at his command (37:16)? He is greater than other people, greater than ourselves, greater than our trials. He can help us no matter we face. And he invites us to trust in Him.

So in the midst of your trials, who will you trust this week?

God Is Greater

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah, Virtue Miscellaneous1 Comment

In Isaiah 33, God reminds us that he is greater than all the things that come against us.

He Is Our Strength (v2) – He is our arm of strength for daily life. He gives us strength in the midst of those things that come against us. Indeed he gives us strength every morning. Each day there is a fresh supply of God’s mighty powerful strength to help us through our trials and struggles. He is our strength.

He Is Our Stability (v5-6) – He is the stability for our times – times of trouble, times of distress, times of difficulty. He is a sure foundation on which we can stand. He is a solid rock when the tempest blows all around us. He is exalted and dwells on high; he is not shaken by all that comes against us, and so we anchor ourselves to him. He is our stability.

He Is Our Salvation (v2-4, 6-12) – God not only gives us strength and stability in the midst of our trials, but in his perfect times he will save us from those trials. When God arises in our lives, all that comes against us scatters. He gobbles up the enemy. His judgment is like a great fire against all that comes against us. He is greater than those things that oppose us, and he will save us in his perfect time. He is our salvation.

And so we wait for him (v2). We don’t need to freak out about trials, threats, dangers, and struggles. We wait for Him with patience – resting in his strength and leaning on his stability. We wait for him with longing for the salvation that he will bring. This week, may we wait for Him who is greater than all that can come against us.

Human Strength

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah2 Comments

In Isaiah 31, Judah was trusting in Egypt because they were very strong. They had human strength. Still today we are tempted to put our hope in human strength.

We put our hope in political power. We think that if we just get the right people into office, we can fix our country. But what happens when they fail to accomplish what they promised? Human strength can fail. Are we trusting in political power or the one true God?

We put our hope in military power. We think that if we are strong enough, we will be safe. But what happens when terrorists fly planes into buildings? What happens when the strongest military in the world can’t stop fanatical rebel groups? Human strength can fail. Are we trusting in military power or the one true God?

We put our hope in our own effort to build the church. We think that if we can just work hard enough, make the right plans, have the right methods, adopt the latest strategy or program, that our church will really take off. But God is the one who draws people to Himself. God is the one who changes lives. God is the one who brings growth in the Christian life. Are we trusting in our own efforts or in the one true God?

We put our hope in our own strength, our own ability. But human strength will fail. We are often weak. And yet God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness (II Corinthians 12:9). Are we trusting in our own strength or in the one true God?

It is not that political power or military might or our effort or our ability are wrong, but they are the wrong place to put our hope. God calls us to put our hope in Him.

Are you trusting in human strength or in the one true God?

Numbers

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

In Isaiah 31, Judah was trusting in Egypt because they had a large army. They had the numbers to maybe defeat the Assyrians. Still today we are tempted to put our hope in numbers.

We put our hope in polls. We want to be in the majority. But what happens when we find that we are in the minority? Christians quickly are becoming the minority when it comes to Biblical morality. Does that bother us? Are we trusting in numbers or in the one true God?

We put our hope in big numbers. Big churches are impressive. Small churches are, well, just small. And yet throughout the Bible and church history, God often does great things with just a few, or even one. Are we trusting in numbers or in the one true God?

We put our hope in the numbers in our bank account. If the number is big, there is a sense of security. If the number is small, there is a sense of anxiety. And yet God can take care of us regardless of what is in our bank accounts. Are we trusting in numbers or in the one true God?

We put our hope in the number of friends we have – both real and pretend (think Facebook). We can become obsessed with how popular we are. How many people are liking my post? And yet our significance has nothing to do with our popularity. Are we trusting in numbers or in the one true God?

It is not that being in the majority or having a big church or having lots of money or friends is a bad thing. There is nothing wrong with numbers; it is just the wrong place to put our hope. God calls us to find our hope in Him.

Are you trusting in numbers or in the one true God?

Where Is Your Trust?

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

In Isaiah 30, Judah is trusting in Egypt to save them from the Assyrian army. But Egypt “cannot profit them” (v5). Egypt’s help is “worthless and empty” (v7).

Still today, people trust in empty things. Some trust in other gods. Many trust in their wealth, or their success, or their job, or their health, or their friends, or the government. And yet all of these can fail – prove empty like Egypt.

God called Judah, and he calls us, to trust in Him. He is the “LORD God” (v15) – the one true God. He is the “Holy One” (v15) – beyond us and greater – able to help us. He is the “Holy One of Israel” (v15) – he entered into a relationship with Israel. He cared about them and wanted to help them. And he has entered into a relationship with us and wants to help us.

And so he calls us to rest in Him, to be still before Him, and trust Him (v15). And in this trust we find strength in the midst of the trials and struggles of life (v15). We don’t need to freak out, but rest quietly in Him, looking to Him for what we need.

He calls us to wait expectantly for Him (v18). He calls us to cry out to Him with the assurance that he will answer, and that he will be with us (v19-20). He calls us to listen to Him for guidance through life (v21). He calls us to look to Him in all things – to trust Him.

We can trust in empty things or we can trust in our God. Where is your trust today?