Do I trust you

He harnessed how he had experienced Gods deliverance in the past and used it as the strong foundation to fight the current battle

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Recently we have been doing some decorating in the house, and although we had a lovely man come and do our woodwork preparation and paint the walls and ceiling, I decided it would be therapeutic (and less expensive) if I painted the woodwork myself. Why am I telling you this? you ask. Well, I love soft encouraging music on when I paint woodwork as it calms me down and I paint better. Usually, I choose a Christian artist called Twilla Paris, she was my favourite during my 20 and 30`s and for me her music is still very inspirational. One song came on that made me get down my ladder and play again, because it sums up where I am in my life right now. The song is called do I trust you (and I`ve included the lyrics and song at the end of this blog).

It is about the times when life hits us hard and we are tempted the ask God, Why Lord? We all have these times, it can range from – Why did I drop the bag of flour on the floor and now have half an hour clearing up job, to why are the people I love (or even myself) going through such pain and difficulty. These times can cause us to really search our souls for just how much we trust the Lord`s will and plan for our lives, and although they can be very challenging and unwelcomed, they are also very necessary if our faith is to mean anything. The song caught my attention because (like so many people I know) things seem difficult and challenging just at the moment. 

Recently I was speaking to someone who`s loved one is going through cancer treatment. They said that he was amazed at how strong their loved one’s trust in the Lord was, and when they had both talked it over, they reflected on other times in their lives when things happened that seemed so difficult and challenging to their faith and trust in the Lord and yet He had drawn them close and carried them through in an amazing way. They reflected that these seemed like preparation times for the situation they were now facing. But this time they now had experience of Gods amazing grace, provision and deliverance. Also, the learned knowledge that He is Sovereign and does have a plan even in the difficult times when it’s hard to understand what is going on! This reminded me of King David's experience when he told King Saul he wanted to fight Goliath and King Saul questioned his ability, David said “I have been taking care of my father`s sheep and goats. When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears and I`ll do it to this pagan Philistine too for he has defiled the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” (1 Samuel 17:34-37 NLT) David used the terrifying faith challenging experiences of fighting lions and bears, to prepare him for the major battle in his life, that of fighting the enemy to his and his whole nations freedom. Goliath! He harnessed how he had experienced Gods deliverance in the past and used it as the strong foundation to fight the current battle. And of course, with the help of the Lord he won! 

When our circumstances suddenly change for the worse, our faith and trust in the Lord can be really challenged. It can throw us into a state of fear and panic, and we can feel like all is lost and we are sinking beneath the experience. But it is at this time we need to do two things. Firstly, bring to mind times in our life when we know the Lord has bought us through difficulties and use experience as a springboard to faith. And more importantly we need to seek Gods word for his eternal truths which are backed up by Gods sovereignty and His love for us and are therefore solid and immovable.

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I was pondering all this and declaring my trust to the Lord as I was praying when the Lord chose to show me something I had not grasped fully before. About the faith journey our dear Lord Jesus took while he was here on Earth. How like us He suffered many things and used them to secure himself to the Father, every day. Hebrews 5:7 – 9 NLT declares “While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was Gods Son, he leaned obedience through the things he suffered. In this way God qualified him as a perfect High Priest and he became the source of eternal salvation for those who obey him.” Even Jesus went through testing times and had to learn trust and obedience to the Father through the things he suffered. Why should it be any different for us, we need to secure our faith in God by learning and depending of His word, and by being obedient to His will in our lives. This is real surrender to God. To stand on His unmovable truth, and depend on His unconditional love and to declare it in the face of whatever lion, bear or Goliath we are facing today. The way that Jesus was obedient to the will of God qualified him for the role God had for him to fulfil `the perfect High Priest and the source of eternal salvation`. We may not know, (when we decide to put our whole faith and trust in Gods will through testing and difficult times,) what the Lord is qualifying us for, but we do know that He has promised that – “God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NLT). 

I pray that whatever you are facing today or even tomorrow your faith will be strengthened by Gods word and His unconditional love as He perfects you day by day so you can be a source of encouragement and comfort to others.  

Song Lyrics to Do I trust you Lord:-
Sometimes my little heart can't understand
What's in Your will, what's in Your plan.
So many times I'm tempted to ask You why,
But I can never forget it for long.
Lord, what You do could not be wrong.
So I believe you, even when I must cry.
Do I trust you, Lord? Does the river flow?
Do I trust you, Lord? Does the north wind blow?
You can see my heart, you can read my mind,
And You got to know that I would rather die
Than to lose my faith in the One I love.
Do I trust you, Lord?  Do I trust you?
I know the answers, I've given them all.
But suddenly now, I feel so small.
Shaken down to the cavity in my soul.
I know the doctrine and theology,
But right now they don't mean much to me.
This time there's only one thing I've got to know.
Do I trust you, Lord? Does the robin sing?
Do I trust you, Lord? Does it rain in spring?
You can see my heart, you can read my mind,
And You got to know that I would rather die
Than to lose my faith in the One I love.
Do I trust you, Lord? Do I trust You?
I will trust You, Lord, when I don't know why.
I will trust You, Lord, till the day I die.
I will trust You, Lord, when I'm blind with pain!
You were God before, and You'll never change.
I will trust You. I will trust You.
I will trust You, Lord
I will trust You

Be blessed today.

 

Author: Jan Pearson

May God bless and enrich your life

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