The Faithful Walk of Trust
Notes
Transcript
ILLUST - Ever feel like you are lost, but you are trusting that goofy GPS?
I don’t know where I’m going, but I trust you do, iPhone?
OR…
ILLUST: Pilot, flight to Rochester, diverted to Buffalo, snow, weather
I put my trust in the pilot when I got on the plane
ME: I’m going to Rochester”
Pilot saw a danger I did not
I never found out, never learned what the issue was
These may be the boldest, most faithful statements believers can make
I don’t know where I’m going right now, LORD, and I am following You.
I don’t know why this is happening now, LORD, and I trust that You do.
SO…many psalms to go to for “trust” - write these down, read them, get to know God through them
Psalm 23, of course
Psalm 91:1 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”
Psalm 121:8 “The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in, From this time forth and forever.”
(READ) TODAY - PSALM 27 - a psalm of trust, security
1) Trust Manages Fear
1) Trust Manages Fear
Fear is real - and manageable
Trust is acknowledging fear, while not being controlled by fear
Whom shall I fear? - It’s rhetorical!
Meaning - Whom shall I allow to control my life? NOT FEAR!
People tend to have more fear when they do not feel confident
Fear sounds like:
I can’t do this, Find somebody else, It’s too hard
Truth is, you CAN, it IS you to do it,
and yes, it is HARD, and over-come-able
VV. 1-3 - this psalmist (David) is confident because God is present
(IS the defense/stronghold of my life)
These fearful times have come before
And the Light came through, God “showed up”
He remembers this happening, and recalls the good
(REM - We discussed etching the good times, the good feeling, into your memory when it occurs)
Light = deliverance, confidence…and the psalmist has experienced this; he often calls on God and God’s promises, knowing them
“My light” = “My salvation”
These fearful times have come
And the Stronghold was there
The picture of strength
The stronghold was a strong, safe place of refuge
Designed to protect any seeking shelter there
The word here invokes the image of a helmet, strong, protective
Isaiah understands this when he writes in Is 59:17
He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head…
Take a look at Paul, centuries later, calling on this metaphor
And take the helmet of salvation…
Put on that salvation, that deliverance from God, take the protection He offers!
2) Trust Moves Us Forward
2) Trust Moves Us Forward
Prayerfully
VV 4-12 show the active prayer for God’s presence to be known
Then the psalmist can move forward In obedience
Sometimes the road is unclear, foggy, dark
Sometimes trusting means costing more - you give more of your life to Christ
Being bold in faith = NOT naive, hollow belief
“Bold in faith” means that God has banished fear
Your trust in Him leaves nowhere for fear to take hold
David longs to be in the presence of God, forever, in person
Until that occurs, he hangs on as close and and tight as he can
Instead of running from or hiding from God
Questions:
Do you KNOW that you will be with the LORD forever?
If so, how does that affect your closeness to Him, now?
When you get up each day, head out, are you seeking/trusting the LORD’s direction?
Trust will allow you to take steps before you know why, or before you see the answers
Pro tip, when you are afraid…
REJOICE
Rejoicing casts out fear!
Raise a Hallelujah!
Loyalty, seen in the psalms, loyalty results from trust
In verse 7- there is a shift, though still seeking God’s presence
Hear me, Be gracious to me, Answer me, Don’t hid Your face from me
Others have left me, abandoned me, not You, LORD
This is a prayer for deliverance, from something immediate
And this will lead to a deeper dependence on the LORD
Because He has promised!
God’s got this, I know, I’m trusting in Him to have this!
Then…Only the LORD can move us from distress to safety
This prayer is for guidance and assurance of victory
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
Trust moves us forward in obedience
More than just Because God said…
You KNOW He has a purpose
You have seen it in self and others
You can look back and see how He has worked
Noah, Abraham, Mary/Joseph (rehearse each), Apostles
Why I trust the Bible…
Apostles walked with Him, saw, experienced… I believe them
My faith is an active trust - active
And that faith, that trust, guides me to follow Jesus, who leads
3) Trust Means I Wait
3) Trust Means I Wait
Again, confidence in the very presence of God
Let me explain, through the Old Testament - same God, same “promising-while-expecting” obedient followers
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.
a) There are things we do not know, maybe never WILL know
b) Israel context - God was moving them into the Promised Land - great uncertainties lay ahead - they were to wait on the Lord, actively wait
“Waiting” is active faith
“Cease striving (be still) and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
“Being still” does not mean being inactive
Purposeful statement - my dependence on the LORD is intentional
That is, I know what I am doing
Waiting - grows us, shapes us, forms us
And we remain active while we wait
God’s got this, that is not new
When you wait on the LORD, when you let Him work, it does not mean you are passive
“The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.
Moses grew as a leader, because He recognized God’s triumph through difficulty
David, too
We, here, likewise help each other
Because we know God has been there, is there, and will always be there
I have experienced God’s presence - so have you
Moses >> Joshua in Deuteronomy 31:7 “Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance.”
Joshua >> People in Joshua 10:25 “Joshua then said to them, “Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies with whom you fight.””
Paul to Corinth - 1 Corinthians 16:13 “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”
There is a tension
This world will bring affliction, trouble, complaint
Jesus has promised a future deliverance - PROMISED
Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.
So we wait - Wait on the Lord - This is our faith (manual slide)
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Seek Him - He’s got this!
Waiting is active faith (Bible so often uses farmers, e.g., there was no crop insurance)
Waiting is not passive or idle
Waiting means to trust God’s timing
You continue to obey, to serve, to pray
Waiting is not standing still - it is faithfully doing what is right
While leaving the outcome in His hands
Waiting means understanding that God is working
Even when you can’t see it
I don’t know when, how or what He will do, and I know….
He is good, all the time
Our light, salvation, our stronghold
So we wait, yes, we wait for the Lord
