“Who is among you that fears the LORD, that obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.” (Isaiah 50:10, NASB 95)
There are Christians who are very good at many things. They faithfully worship God. They share their time, talent, and treasure. They keep their promises. They are some of the first people to offer a helping hand or financial assistance or a shared prayer. They are often pillars of the church and an example to many. However, some of these same strong Christian individuals may lack something significant. Even though they are quick to give, share, and work; they are missing one crucial aspect of faith. When needed, they are not boldly willing to rely on God. They don’t fully trust that God will come through.
In the book of Judges, Gideon needed reassurance from God. He laid out a fleece and asked for a sign, which God graciously provided (Judges 6:37ff). Now imagine if, out of fear of being wrong or fully trusting in God’s providence, that Gideon kept asking for more and bigger signs “just to be sure”. At some point his fear and lack of faith would not only have been glaring to others but an affront to God. By the way, only when Gideon was willing to put his whole trust in God was he able to lead an army to victory with just 300 men! Gideon’s complete trust and reliance upon God, led to a great victory.
Not fully relying on God’s power and grace will lead to loss and defeat. Fully trusting in God can lead you to unimaginable victories!
After settling into a time with God this morning, I read the scripture from Isaiah 50:10. This verse of scripture came from a time when Judah and Israel were on shaky ground. Their faith had been tested during war and exile. Their spiritual leadership was lacking. Only a few prophets and priests were trustworthy. During this period when people were questioning God’s presence and grace and might, Isaiah asked, “Who is among you that fears the Lord, that obeys the voice of His servant…?” Isaiah was looking for people willing to “trust in the name of the Lord and rely on God”. These same people may have sought out God or even prayed to God, but they lacked a full “trust in the name of the Lord” to “rely on God”. Isaiah urged the people to lean on God, have faith that God would come through, and not hold back out of fear.
In the days after Jesus’ crucifixion, there were some fearful followers who were afraid to venture out in faith. They worried for their lives. They lacked trust in God’s providence. Despite many being frightened, true followers did not hold back. Relying fully on God’s might, apostles like Peter, John, Barnabas and Paul spoke out without fear. The scriptures even mention their preaching as “bold” as they fully trusted in the protection of the Almighty (see scriptures like Acts 4:21, Acts 4:29, Acts 9:27, Acts 9:29, Acts 13:46, and more!) Is your trust in God solid enough for you to step out in faith when your way forward in life is unsure or may bring new challenges?
A young boy was trying diligently to ride a bike. His father was with him each time the training wheels were removed from the bike and the boy attempted to balance while pedaling. Yet, even with the father there, the boy kept trying to pedal while looking back to his father, showing signs of pure fear. The boy constantly fell to the side, his father catching him every time. After fifteen minutes of failures, the father laughed and said, “I told you I was here! Trust that I will catch you! Stop looking back and wondering if I’m here. Just look ahead and pedal!” Finally, with strong determination and a will to trust in his father’s guidance, the boy soared off almost a full block before finally stopping to catch his breath. He had done it! He could ride a bike without training wheels! That father later told his wife that watching his son try to ride a bike taught him a valuable spiritual lesson. He whispered to her, “Sometimes, we hold on so tightly to fear that we forget to trust. When we struggle to trust God, we often fall when we could be soaring instead!”
Studying the Bible, learning from spiritual mentors, memorizing scripture, and attending worship faithfully will only get you so far in the eyes of God. Sometimes, God wants you to let go of your fears and worries and place your trust in HIS strength. Sometimes, God needs you to boldly forge ahead on the path HE has determined with the conviction that you will rely on God “no matter what”! This takes courage. It takes determination. It takes a trust in God that is tangible. If you can’t rely on God fully, how will you ever soar?
In the book of Judges, Gideon needed reassurance from God. He laid out a fleece and asked for a sign, which God graciously provided (Judges 6:37ff). Now imagine if, out of fear of being wrong or fully trusting in God’s providence, that Gideon kept asking for more and bigger signs “just to be sure”. At some point his fear and lack of faith would not only have been glaring to others but an affront to God. By the way, only when Gideon was willing to put his whole trust in God was he able to lead an army to victory with just 300 men! Gideon’s complete trust and reliance upon God, led to a great victory.
Not fully relying on God’s power and grace will lead to loss and defeat. Fully trusting in God can lead you to unimaginable victories!
After settling into a time with God this morning, I read the scripture from Isaiah 50:10. This verse of scripture came from a time when Judah and Israel were on shaky ground. Their faith had been tested during war and exile. Their spiritual leadership was lacking. Only a few prophets and priests were trustworthy. During this period when people were questioning God’s presence and grace and might, Isaiah asked, “Who is among you that fears the Lord, that obeys the voice of His servant…?” Isaiah was looking for people willing to “trust in the name of the Lord and rely on God”. These same people may have sought out God or even prayed to God, but they lacked a full “trust in the name of the Lord” to “rely on God”. Isaiah urged the people to lean on God, have faith that God would come through, and not hold back out of fear.
In the days after Jesus’ crucifixion, there were some fearful followers who were afraid to venture out in faith. They worried for their lives. They lacked trust in God’s providence. Despite many being frightened, true followers did not hold back. Relying fully on God’s might, apostles like Peter, John, Barnabas and Paul spoke out without fear. The scriptures even mention their preaching as “bold” as they fully trusted in the protection of the Almighty (see scriptures like Acts 4:21, Acts 4:29, Acts 9:27, Acts 9:29, Acts 13:46, and more!) Is your trust in God solid enough for you to step out in faith when your way forward in life is unsure or may bring new challenges?
A young boy was trying diligently to ride a bike. His father was with him each time the training wheels were removed from the bike and the boy attempted to balance while pedaling. Yet, even with the father there, the boy kept trying to pedal while looking back to his father, showing signs of pure fear. The boy constantly fell to the side, his father catching him every time. After fifteen minutes of failures, the father laughed and said, “I told you I was here! Trust that I will catch you! Stop looking back and wondering if I’m here. Just look ahead and pedal!” Finally, with strong determination and a will to trust in his father’s guidance, the boy soared off almost a full block before finally stopping to catch his breath. He had done it! He could ride a bike without training wheels! That father later told his wife that watching his son try to ride a bike taught him a valuable spiritual lesson. He whispered to her, “Sometimes, we hold on so tightly to fear that we forget to trust. When we struggle to trust God, we often fall when we could be soaring instead!”
Studying the Bible, learning from spiritual mentors, memorizing scripture, and attending worship faithfully will only get you so far in the eyes of God. Sometimes, God wants you to let go of your fears and worries and place your trust in HIS strength. Sometimes, God needs you to boldly forge ahead on the path HE has determined with the conviction that you will rely on God “no matter what”! This takes courage. It takes determination. It takes a trust in God that is tangible. If you can’t rely on God fully, how will you ever soar?