28 Mar Imagine Trusting God More
Charles Blondin, was famous in the 1800’s for walking across Niagara Falls on a tightrope numerous times. He even crossed blindfolded, with a stove and in fact, on one occasion he even cooked an omelette on the tightrope! In June 1859 he crossed with a wheel barrow and then asked the crowd if they believed he could push someone across in the wheelbarrow and the crowd shouted back enthusiastically ‘YES!’ To this Blondin replied, ‘Would someone like to step forward and get in the wheelbarrow.’ No one responded. No one trusted him.
Blondin proved that day that there is a massive gulf between belief and trust. No one trusted Blondin enough that day to get in the barrow! It is the same with our lives spiritually at times. God doesn’t want us to just believe – He wants us to trust Him!!
I want to encourage you to imagine what your life would be like if you really, yes really, trusted God! To imagine trusting God more….
Solomon trusted God and he said,
‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.‘ (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Solomon was the wisest man who every lived and so we would be wise to take on board not just Solomon’s wisdom but also remember that it comes from the God.
Imagine trusting God more
Imagine if you really did…
- Trust in the Lord (and all that means) with all our heart
- Lean not
- Acknowledge/submit
- Straight paths
Imagine if you really lived out this quoted verse?
Imagine trusting God more and the impact on…
- Faith, relationship with God
- Relationship, marriage, family, children
- Finances
- Career
- Ambitions & dreams
- You might step out – build a business, new career, launch a ministry or even write a book!
I absolutely believe this:
If we trust God like we never have before – we will live like we never have before!
I know that every one of us is on a unique spiritual journey today. We each come from different walks of life and are all at different stages of the life cycle.
God would speak into your life today this powerful promise:
‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.‘
Father God longs for you to really trust Him and, no matter how much you already trust Him, to enlarge and increase your capacity to trust Him.
Is trust the issue?
Trust has been an issue since the Fall of man.
God had commanded Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Of course, the devil came along and almost immediately sowed seeds of distrust:
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1)
‘Did God really say’ was the challenge the devil gave and, to be honest, he’s continued with this question ever since.
‘Did God really say’ has been the devil’s catch phrase!
He has subtly sought to undermine God’s Word to His people ever since!
He has sought to undermine the promises and also the consequences of failing to obey God!
Trust levels are at an all time low!
We live in a generation where trust has been eroded. A man’s word used to be his bond but not any more. You will know that sometimes:
- Politicians often lie
- Estate agents sometimes mislead us
- Holiday companies sell us holidays that don’t represent the carefully taken pictures
- Supermarkets deceive us with offers and sale that aren’t true
- Car salesman may mislead us
- Even friends and family members let us down.
A Readers Digest survey of most trusted Americans – reported that President Obama came 65th and the actor, Tom Hanks, came 1st!
We just don’t trust anyone and consequently we don’t trust God….there has been an erosion of trust!
Everything we do in this world flows from that relationship of trust with our wonderful creator and Father – God.
We were created to TRUST IN GOD! Deeply! Unswervingly! Totally!
We were designed to trust in God more than we actually do.
We simply have to re-connect and begin to really trust Him. Once we do, I believe we will see a transformation of our lives, relationships, marriages, finances, jobs careers, ministries, hopes and dreams. In fact every single area of our lives will become transformed. We will mature, develop, grow, become fruitful and we will become fulfilled in ways we could never have dreamed of.
Misplaced Trust
There will be people reading this right now who have been badly let down by those closest to them. My heart goes out to you! The people who you expected to be the most trustworthy have been the ones who have let you down and proved that they couldn’t be trusted! David understood this too well:
“Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.” (Psalms 41:9 NLT)
Having been on the receiving end on this on more than one occasion, I know exactly how it feels. The pain is deep and lasting and trust for others, never mind towards God (how did He let this happen to me?!) can evaporate. The bible warns us against placing our trust and confidence in men:
“Don’t put your trust in human leaders. Don’t trust in people. They can’t save you.” (Psalm 146:3)
Trust is the issue. Trust has been eroded. The result being that we struggle to trust our God or believe what He says in his word.
Can I encourage you, in spite of your experiences, what you’ve seen and what others have done – to start to really trust God again or to trust God more than you do right now.
If we trust God like we never have before – we will live like we never have before!
Who Is Your Trust In?
A few years ago Julia and I were holidaying in Wales on the beautiful Lleyn Peninsula. A lady we met suggested that we visited a place called Nant Gwrtheyrn where we would find a secluded quarrying village overlooking the sea & coffee shop.
We were warned that the route down was very steep however we decided to visit. When we arrived at the top of the hill and looked at the narrow winding road down the hillside both of us looked at each other anxiously! (Julia more than me as I was the one behind the wheel!) We decided to continue down this incredible scenic route among the trees with a several hundred feet sheer drop on one side.
Eventually, with hearts in our mouths, we made it to the bottom. I was glad that the week before the holiday my car had been fitted with new brake discs and pads!
Julia was just relieved to be alive. In fairness, Julia did trust me to get us to the bottom of the hill safely! (Bless her!)
Who Are You Trusting In?
I wonder – where is your trust placed?! In whom or what do you trust? King David stated:
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (Psalm 20:7)
Have you learned to trust, yes, really trust in God yet?
David learned it initially fighting the lion and the bear and later of course when tackling Goliath and of course, He also fought many battles and faced many challenges to his kingship but he learned down the years to trust in one thing only – the Lord! I love the fact that this is the central verse in the Bible:
‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.’ (Psalms 118:8 NKJV)
So who are you trusting in?
Is your trust misplaced in someone else rather than God?
Often our trust is in our own abilities, skills, bank balance, or our spouse or a friend – anyone or anything other than God.
‘Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.’ (Proverbs 11:28)
Make a choice today to trust in God.
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.” (Isaiah 26:3-4)
Trust in the Lord!
How can we begin to trust God more?
What do we actually mean by trust?
Definition
‘Firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something‘ (Oxford Dictionary)
The Hebrew word for trust is ‘bâṭach’ which means ‘properly to hide for refuge; figuratively to trust, be confident or sure.’ To trust in the LORD with all my heart means to hide in Him for refuge and to place all my confidence in Him.
Solomon had learned this for himself. Have you?
‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart….’
We so easily let this well-known verse roll off the tongue but let’s recognise who this is we’re talking about – the God of the Bible, of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Perhaps you’ve made your God to be too small to trust fully?
“If God was small enough for you to completely understand him, he wouldn’t be big enough for you to completely trust him.” (Rick Warren)
You can trust God because…
He is the TRUTH, His Word is truth and He is trustworthy and totally consistent in all He does. He has a track record!
Jesus said
“I am the way, the TRUTH and the life” (John 14:6)
and
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God. Trust in me also.” (John 14:1)
Jesus is described in this way in Revelation:
“Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for He judges fairly and wages a righteous war.” (Revelation 19:11 NLT)
When you don’t understand what’s going on in your life and God appears silent – remember to trust in the Lord. Trust in the one who is faithful, consistent and true – the One who is good all the time. He is not human like us – blesses one day and curses the next, loves one day and forgets the next. He is trustworthy!!
“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.” (Psalm 145:13)
My passion is that people learn to trust God. It’s a journey of faith and discovery. Wherever you find yourself on it, can I encourage you to trust God even more than you already do. This promise sums up the benefits of trusting God:
“But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”
(Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT)
Remember this – God is more than worthy of your trust.
Can I encourage you to pause for a moment and commit those areas of your life that you currently find challenging and a cause of fear and anxiety to Him. Ask Him to help you let go and to trust Him deeply. He will not let you down.
Imagine trusting God more…..it could change your life.
Imagine – trusting God more
If you’ve enjoyed this post you might like to check out my book entitled ‘Imagine’ that is all about trusting God available now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble plus other major book sellers.
In ‘Imagine’, I will help you to explore what your life would be like if you really trusted God. My objective is to help you imagine the impact on your faith, your family and your other relationships. To imagine the impact on your career, ambitions, dreams, finances, health and to imagine the doors God that might open and the new adventures you might enjoy. You could also imagine the lasting legacy you might leave for the generations to come.
So many of us struggle to trust God, yet this is the key to discovering the life He intended for us. Using Proverbs 3:5-6 as my core text, I will take you on a journey of new faith and discovery. We will explore how we can learn to trust God fully, to overcome fear, to acknowledge God in the big and small, to trust in His infinite knowledge and to stay on the straight paths God lays out for us. If we learn to trust God like never before, we will begin to live like never before!
One recent Amazon reviewer said, “This is an incredibly powerful book written as if the author is chatting to you about his own life, struggles and experiences during his ongoing walk with God. It is a very real and honest book with bible verses to back up what the author is sharing about. Personally this book is having a big impact on me and my faith in God. I would recommend to anyone to buy this book if you want to deepen your relationship with God at whatever stage you are in your walk. Imagine the impact this book could have on your life….”
Another reviewer wrote: “I found this to be a very easy read about trusting God in your everyday life. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating so they say.
I am a 60 year old man who has spent his entire life worrying. Free floating anxiety its been labelled.
Over the last few weeks, each morning on awakening I have made a cup of tea then read a chapter of the New Testament (NIV) followed by a small section or two of this book (kindle version. I wish I’d bought the actual paper version). That’s easy to do as the book is written in lots of small sections.
This book is a constant drip of Trust God, Trust God, Trust God….
After only a couple of weeks I said to my wife, “I’ve noticed I’ve stopped worrying. There is not a single worry in my head”. Which, if you knew me would probably astound you!
So, I write this as the UK is coming out of Coronavirus lockdown, and last night’s news showed the Chancellor saying that Britain is about to enter the worst recession its ever faced. And the thought that entered my head, as that habitual worrywart’s bolt of adrenalin kicked in, was “That’s OK. God has got me”. And I didn’t give it another thought. I’m low income self-employed, so in these particular times, not worrying but trusting God instead is a big thing.
If I was the chancellor (which thankfully I’m not) I would say something like “I recommend this book to the house!”
Another reviewer said ‘A wonderful story of faith and dedication overcoming all obstacles. Full of practical advise and wise instruction. The book invites the reader to ‘dream dreams’ and to live out vision with tenacity and determination. A good hearty read.’ (Pastor Paul Hallam)
Father God longs for you to trust Him again and to trust Him with all your heart. He longs to enlarge and increase your capacity to trust. My prayer for you and for me is that each day we will learn to trust Him more. Imagine what your life could be like if you trusted Him more…
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