Our Trust is in ur Gd Scripture Reading: Prv. 3: 1-8 The bk f Prverbs is ne f the wisdm bks f the Bible. The bk is authred by King Slmn wh asked Gd fr wisdm t lead the peple f Israel after his inauguratin. A basic thrust f the bk is that the fear f the Lrd is the beginning f wisdm (9:10). The wisdm cntained in the bk is apt fr us tday as it was when first written. Tday s reading reels ut pieces f advice frm a father t his child, the ding f which will prvide the child with lng life and peace ((3:2); favur and hnur (3:4); guidance (3:6); health (3:8). The main fcus in this message, hwever, is n 3:5-6. What is Trust? Prverbs 3:5-6 (New King James Versin) Trust in the LORD with all yur heart, And lean nt n yur wn understanding; In all yur ways acknwledge Him, And He shall direct yur paths. Prverbs 3:5-6 (The Message) Trust Gd frm the bttm f yur heart; dn't try t figure ut everything n yur wn. Listen fr Gd's vice in everything yu d, everywhere yu g; he's the ne wh will keep yu n track. Cnfident reliance n r belief in the integrity, veracity, justice, friendship, pwer, prtectin, etc, f a persn r things Cnfidence, firm expectatin (that)... T place cnfidence in, t believe in, t rely upn, t believe, t have a cnfident hpe f expectatin, t cmmit t the care f a persn, t entrust, t entrust a persn with a thing. As human, we tend t trust in ur senses fr: What we see, hear, feel, taste, and tuch Trust is built (predicated) n TRUTH We trust smebdy f gd character, integrity and hnesty. T be trustwrthy means t be abslutely dependable! Trust develps ut f bnding. It is als necessary t cement a relatinship. Trust can be abused (and ften is).
In the fcus text tday, let s lk at sme key phrases: WITH ALL YOUR HEART An undivided heart (a duble-minded persn cannt receive frm Gd James 1:7-8) Sld ut fr Gd YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING At best imperfect At wrst hpeless and disastrus Why? LEAN NOT Dn t depend n it Dn t cunt n it Dn t rely n it IN ALL YOUR WAYS Whatever yu d Decisins yu take Limited hrizn (small picture) Selfishness and small mindedness Incmplete infrmatin r data pints t make decisin frm Plans that yu make (see Prv. 16:1,3) ACKNOWLEDGE HIM Recgnise Him Defer t Him Submit t Him Let Him be the Captain f yur bat and nt a seafarer n bard Paraphrase (mine) With all yur heart, Trust Him; On yur wn understanding, lean nt; In all yur ways, defer t Him. Why Trust (in) Gd? Trust (in) Him because He is TRUE He is the nly true Gd! See Ps 115: 3-8 Trust (in) Him because He is TRUTHFUL Gd is nt a man that He shuld lie Num 23:19 Trust (in) Him because He is FAITHFUL Gd remains faithful even when we are nt 2 Tim 2:13 Trust (in) Him because He is ETERNAL It is better t trust in Gd than t trust in Princes Ps 118:8-9; Ps 146: 3-4 Gvernments will fail us; Institutins will disappint us; Friends, family, clleagues will let us dwn all because f human frailties.
But Gd is nt man! He des nt suffer the weaknesses f humanity. S He cannt fail, let dwn r disappint. Whatever he says He will d, whatever appintments He makes He keeps! Psalm 22v5 says: They cried t yu and were saved; they trusted in yu and were nt disappinted (r ashamed). Stability (immvable, unshakeable): The Blessings f trusting (in) the Lrd: Ps 125: 1-2 Thse wh trust in the LORD are like Munt Zin, which cannt be mved, but abides frever. As the muntains surrund Jerusalem, s the LORD surrunds His peple frm this time frth and frever. Peace (Imperturbability): Isa 26:3 Yu will keep in perfect peace thse whse minds are steadfast, because they trust in yu. Cnfidence: Psalm 20:7-8 Sme trust in charits and sme in hrses, but we trust in the name f the LORD ur Gd. They are brught t their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. Guidance and Directin: Prv. 3:6..And He will direct yur path Psalm 119:105 Yur wrd is a lamp t my feet and a light t my path. James 1:5 If any f yu lacks wisdm, he shuld ask Gd, wh gives generusly t all withut finding fault, and it will be given t him. Help and Defence: Psalm 115:11 Yu wh fear the LORD, trust in the LORD; Prtectin frm shame: Rmans 10:11 As the Scripture says, Anyne wh trusts in Him will never be put t shame. See Jer. 17:5-8 The Cntrast f trusting in man and trusting in Gd:
When shuld we trust (in) Gd? Trust Him at all times whether in gd seasn r in bad seasn, much mre s in times f trials and tribulatins Isa 26v4: Trust in the Lrd always, fr the Lrd Gd is the eternal Rck. (NLT) When strms assail, Trust in the Gd wh the winds and the sea bey when he rebukes the strm and says Peace, be still (Mark 4:39); When yu are at the end f yur tether and dn t knw what next t d, Trust in the Gd whse eyes run t and fr thrughut the whle earth, t shw Himself strng n behalf f thse whse heart is lyal t Him (2 Chr. 16:9); the Gd wh saw Hagar in her desperate state and wh Hagar called the El Ri (Gen 13:16); When yur health fails, Trust in the Gd wh is the Jehvah Rapha (Ex 15:26), (He makes bitter things sweet)! The Gd wh sent his wrd and healed their diseases (Psalm 107: 20), the Gd by whse stripes we are healed (Isa 53:5), the Gd whse grace is sufficient (2 Cr. 12:9); When yu feel lnely and alne, Trust in the Gd wh says: I will never leave yu nr frsake yu (Heb 13:5); the Gd wh placed the lnely in families (Ps 68:5-6). When yu are at a crssrads and dn t knw which way t turn, Trust in the Gd wh says: Whether yu turn t the right r t the left, yur ears will hear a vice behind yu, saying, This is the way; walk in it. (Isa 30:21) When heaven seems t be silent and the hrizn seems dark, clud and dreary, Trust in the Gd wh inhabits the darkness (Ex. 20:21) The Gd f whm the hymn writer (Edward Mte) wrte: When darkness veils his lvely face, I rest n His unchanging grace; In every high and strmy gale, my anchr hlds within the veil. His ath, His cvenant His bld, supprt me in the whelming fld; When all arund my sul gives way, He then is all my hpe and stay. WE LEARN THE LESSON OF TRUST IN THE SCHOOL OF TRIAL (ODB) Psalm 115:9-11 9 O Israel, trust in the LORD; Wh shuld trust (in) the Lrd?
10 O huse f Aarn, trust in the LORD; 11 Yu wh fear the LORD, trust in the LORD; A cmpanin f trust is bedience. Yu will bey Him if yu trust Him. Whatever he says t yu, d it (Jhn 2:5). May yur trust be in Him and may yur bedience be t Him. Amen.