Slideshow image

Trust
Such a big topic. And its opposites, worry, anxiety and fear, are equally immense. They can be like either end of a teeter-totter with ours minds as the fulcrum in the middle.

Even as Christians, many of us find ourselves wanting to trust God with all that we do but so easily forgetting to continually lay the burden at His feet. When I start to spiral into negative thinking, I remember an adage on a church billboard I once saw that said “Why trust God if you can worry?” Turning things upside down like that helps me to remember to stop wallowing and get back to God.

In scripture we have been given many promises regarding trust in God as an antidote to worry. Let’s look at a few:

Isaiah 26:3
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Psalm 37:5
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.


Jeremiah 17:7-8
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

Continually trusting God is something I find difficult to do. How often have I experienced God’s generous, loving care in rescuing me from an anxious situation, only to try to take over His job the next time something worrying arises? I have a feeling many are like me. We ask God to help but then take back the problem and shoulder it ourselves, searching for answers within our own capabilities. We fear both losing control of the situation and feeling powerless. Sometimes these worries are just little things that seem so inconsequential. Yet they eat away at quietude and inner peace. Sometimes we brush the worry aside, thinking it isn’t important enough to bring to Him, yet it festers and gnaws. The outcome determines the sort of day/night/week/month/year we have. It affects who we are and how we deal with others. It affects our daily walk with the Lord.

How can we break this cycle of fear and anxiousness. Through scripture, God gives us things we can actively do to turn anxiety and worry into trust.

Surrender yourself and all your troubles to God
Throw all your anxieties upon him, because he cares about you.
(1 Peter 5:7)

Put God first in your life and don’t depend on yourself
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)

Cry out to God
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts
Thus we may say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6)

Thank Him for His promises and for His care of every facet of your life
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid.
(Luke 12:7)

Remember, (His) power now at work in us can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)

GRACIOUS HEAVENLY FATHER, give me the spirit of humility to recognize that I can’t remove the burden of anxiety from my own shoulders. I cry out for Your help.
I claim Your promises as did the prophet Samuel when he said “Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.” (2 Samuel 7:28).
Watch over me and guide me through the problem that afflicts me. Draw me closer to you, Lord and, in Your abundant grace, open my heart so I might increase my trust in You.
Give me the faith to leave my burden at Your feet and not snatch it back.
All glory to your Name.
AMEN

To finish today, listen thoughtfully to the hymn Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.

Here is a contemporary version by Parkway Worship Ministry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbVgJwF8SG8


And a more traditional version by Casting Crown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RqfAjPzpko