Christ died for us, and those who follow Him place their trust in Him. He paid the entire price so that we could go free, and we‘ll be able to go to heaven someday because of this. For all those who trust in God the way Christ trusted Him, He’s willing to be to them what He was to His dearly beloved Son during His walk here on Earth. If we’ll just come to Him, placing our trust in Him as our Savior, Christ will forgive our sins. Then He’ll wrap His spotless robe of righteousness around us. All who trust in Christ will be comforted and supported by Him.
By Default Our Trust is Not in Christ
“…there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but He was asleep. And His disciples came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish” (Matthew 8:24-25). What great confidence these men showed in Christ. This also shows us where sinners and Christians should always go when they feel like they’re in danger of perishing. There’s no one but the Son of God who can save us when the storms of divine wrath come.
Our need is to faithfully trust in the work of Christ in our life, not in our own efforts.
Where is Our Faith?
Faith means putting our total trust and confidence in someone or something. But if we believe in God, do we ever take time to consider what the logical implications of our faith are? What’s the goal of godly faith anyway? It’s for us to trust everything in our life to God. We hear His Word, but do we obediently do it as faith guides us? Faith not only saves us, it also purifies and preserves us. All things are made possible by faith—but it’s love that makes them simple. Our need is to faithfully trust in the work of Christ in our life, not in our own efforts.
We’re Dependent on the One We Trust
It’s the desire of the Holy Spirit for every child of God to trust in Christ for all things and all situations. We can have full trust that the Lord will fulfill His commandments to us in Christ, because He’s totally faithful. And, if we’re completely dependent on Him, it means that we trust Him completely to do what’s right, in the way that’s right, at the time that’s right—all the time.
We Would Rather Do Something
But we often think that it’s simpler to do something instead of trusting God. When we wait for Him to direct us instead, we exercise trust in God for the power necessary to follow Him. As we keep on trusting in Him, we’re to be living a righteous life. He has promised that He will then renew our power to continue trusting in Him.
…those who trust in Christ and the Cross are also the ones who are just. But those who don’t understand the Cross won’t really understand the faith or trust the Bible talks about.
There is only one created being who can have faith and trust in God (as well as being capable of disobedience to Him) and that’s man. Christ is worthy of our faith and trust in Him and His finished work on the Cross alone. And those who trust in Christ and the Cross are also the ones who are just.
Understand the Cross and We’ll Understand Faith and Trust
But those who don’t understand the Cross won’t really understand the faith or trust the Bible talks about. In the most severe hours of our darkness and trials, faith will win by our trust in God. The hope and trust we have in God can be compared to His goodness and mercy to us. As we experience His loving mercy to see us through every test, we’ll learn to trust Him more and more.
We Can Expect Deliverance When We Fully Trust in God
Trusting in God guarantees His help. We can therefore expect full and complete deliverance and victory, and our heart will be delighted with the deliverance that He’ll provide for us. This is the Lord’s promise to those who trust in Him: “For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in Me, saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 39:18). We won’t fail if we put our trust in God, because He can’t fail. All those who place their trust in the Devil will fail, while those who trust in God will continue forever.
God Makes It Possible to Love, Trust, and Obey Him
Our mind was created by God so we would be able to know Him. This makes it possible for us to make the decision to love, trust and obey Him. Why do we continue to struggle to live the Christian life on our own, when we can simply trust Him to live His life through us as we obey His Word? But trusting in God doesn’t mean that He’ll always spell out His solutions to us in advance. Let’s pray that He’ll make us capable of accepting the perplexities He sends by our willing obedience to Him, while we continue to trust and live by faith in Him.
…how often do we lean on our own understanding first, instead of putting our whole heart into trusting the Lord? That’s the point—are we going to trust God, or are we going to depend on our faith in ourselves?
We Are Not Lean on Our Own Understanding
We’ve been told to “…trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). But how often do we lean on our own understanding first, instead of putting our whole heart into trusting the Lord? That’s the point—are we going to trust in God, or are we going to depend on our faith in ourselves? Why don’t we just keep our faith in Him and trust that God’s Word is true? He’s the all-powerful One Who has us in His loving possession. So let’s stop putting our faith and trust in our self, and put all our faith and trust in Him!
[Additional image credits: Featured image (when applicable) by Jackson David on Unsplash; Opening photo by Samuel McGarrigle on Unsplash]
