RE-LEARNING TO TRUST IN GOD

In Genesis 4:5-6, God mentioned that Cain’s countenance fell when he was angry. In 1 Sam 1:18, when Hanah heard that she would be granted a child, her countenance was no more sad. What is the countenance of a Christian who truly trusts in God?

We have challenges in putting trust in God for many reasons. For the Israelites who were led out of Egypt by God through Moses, we can see that they did fear and believe. They witnessed the care and protection God provided in Exodus 13:21-22, “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” In Exodus 14:31, “And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses”. They believed in God and feared Him. But did the belief and fear sustain throughout their journey? We know they could not because their trust in God was not there. 

In Exodus 14:10-12 “And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.”

The Israelites had fear. Sometimes, it is harder for us to trust God when we have fear. We start thinking about things that might happen to us and forget about God’s promises to leave our cares to Him. The advice God gave in Exodus 14:13-14 was to fear not and stand still. We need to calm down, stand still and start observing what God is trying to show us. God wanted the Israelites to stand and see that He would fight for them. God also wanted them to see how He was going to protect them in Exo 14:19, 22.

Moving on the journey in Exodus 15:23,24, “And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?” Exodus 16:3 “And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” The Israelites found it hard to trust God again when things were hard and caused them to struggle. They started to complain and forgot about God’s goodness. But God reminded them in Exodus 16:26 “... If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.”, to continue to keep His ways and He will provide. After God provided them with food, it was told to them not to save up any food collected for the day. Some of the Israelites decided that they should keep the food till the next day but experienced the food getting smelly and spoilt the next day (Exodus 16:19-20).

It becomes hard to trust God when we look at things in our own perspective. We often comment, “Why did this happen? It should not have happened.” Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts. We are often shortsighted. God sees the whole picture. If God allows certain things to happen even to a faithful Christian, that is His will. Trusting God is not about seeing good things happening only. Trusting God is about trusting that God will let things work together for the good He perceives with his almighty hands for a faithful follower (Romans 8:28). Those who obeyed and only kept the food overnight for the Sabbath did not experience the spoilt food (Exodus 16:23-24). Why? Because they listened and obeyed. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us not to see things in our own knowledge and allow God to direct our paths. 

After some time, Moses did not return for a while and the people started to make gods for themselves (Exodus 32:1). When there are uncertainties, we forget to trust God. God said that these people turned aside from Him so quickly, forgetting what God has done for them (Exodus 32:8).

So, when is the hardest for you to trust God? Are there bible characters who also faced these challenges but chose a more righteous way to trust? Abraham definitely had a different perspective from God about sacrificing his son. But he chose to obey. Ruth faced uncertainties to follow her mother-in-law after the death of her husband. But she chose the better part. The bleeding woman who had a blood issue for twelve years, definitely had prior experience of how doctors tried to cure her but was unsuccessful. Yet, she believed and trusted in Jesus. Daniel faced dangers yet trusted in God’s hands to protect him. Job struggled so much with sorrow, loss and sickness, but continued to trust in God. These people chose the better part as compared to the Israelites.

So, back to the question, how will one be as a Christian when one trusts God? One will probably be confident, joyful and positive in countenance. To trust God is to put in a deliberate effort to let go and let Him. Not trusting God will invite worry, sadness, fear and many more undesirable feelings. It may also lead to sinful acts like the Israelites who created gods for themselves. Ultimately, we know that we may even lose the promised land - Heaven. Let’s encourage one another to put in effort in practising how to trust God daily and letting Him show us how He has promised to take care of us because He loves us.

Let us remember God and all that He has done to make trusting Him easier. I am still learning and putting in a deliberate effort to trust. 

Ask Yourself:

1. Why is it so hard to trust in God at times?

2. How can we put in a deliberate effort to trust God?

3. Can I really, fully trust in God?

Suggested Answers:

1. Apart from the reasons mentioned above, we also need to look into our spiritual growth. We need to know God and who He is better through studying, deep studying to find out who we base our trust in. God is not just a thing, or just something invisible which we trust by feelings only. He is real. He told us He wants us to know He is the LORD and His thoughts are higher than ours. 

2. This comes with practice. Nothing comes just like this. When we do sports, we know we need to practice it to master it. When the situation arises, we start with letting go of matters that are easier to trust first. Then progressively, we let go more.

3. The answer is YES! You have to trust that you can trust. This is the first step. If God says we can, we can. Do not doubt what He says. He knows us best. Pray for this to happen, that we can know Him and trust Him. You cannot trust someone you do not know.