Do You Trust God?
Do you find it difficult to trust God all the time? Do you focus on him, even when things are not going your way?
Trust in God
Let’s read excerpts from Psalm 25:1-10, another written by King David,
“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame . . . Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love. . . Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.”
In good times and in unbelievably difficult times, King David focused on the Lord. He was confident in God’s nature even when things looked bleak. He did not blame Him for the situation—as so many people do today. Instead, he called upon the Lord for help and deliverance.
The psalmist proclaimed what he knew to be true even when the circumstances indicated otherwise. This is such an important lesson to learn. If we have genuine faith, we will hold fast to what the Bible says about the Lord’s character and His promises—even when everything around us seems to contradict God’s Word.
Trust God and Be Patient
David called upon the Lord to make His ways known, to teach him His paths, and to lead him in truth. This is where we, too, must go for insight and understanding. We must rely on the Lord 100 percent and seek to teach our children to do the same.
The psalmist proclaimed his willingness to wait for the Lord “all day long.” Patience—or as it was once known, longsuffering—is one of the nine fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. Our perspective of time and what it means to patiently wait for the Lord to answer our prayers may not be the same as God’s perspective. Remember, from His point of view, one day is as a thousand years and vice versa, as it says in 2 Peter 3:8.
Our Debt Has Been Paid
The psalmist asked the Lord to remember His mercy and steadfast love but not the sins of the king’s youth. He went on to say, “According to your steadfast love remember me.”
And now, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can rest assured that our Heavenly Father views us through His Son’s sacrifice. He sees us as pure and blameless because Jesus has already paid for our sin.
This doesn’t give us license to live however we choose, but we can rejoice in the fact that our debt has been paid. And what a wonderful lesson to teach our children! After they have accepted Christ as their personal Saviour, they don’t have to be afraid that God will get angry at them and turn away. This is a good lesson for all of us to consider.
Trust God For Forgiveness
When we’re not living up to the clear directives in God’s Word, we can go before Him in prayer, thank Him for forgiving our sin, and ask Him for the strength to walk in obedience. These are all prayers He is most willing to answer.
Romans 3:23 teaches us that “all have sinned.” The psalmist knew it was God who was good and upright. He also knew that the Lord instructed sinners in the way they should go. Long before Jesus came to Earth, those who sought to follow the Lord knew He was merciful far beyond anything we deserve.
Be Humble
And this is yet another passage that speaks of the importance of humility. King David proclaimed that God led the humble in what was right and taught them His way. We must come before the Lord humbly. We must approach His Word prayerfully, asking Him to reveal the truth to us.
As parents, it is important that we set a good example for our children. Our time in His Word shouldn’t be rushed. Our family must not get the impression that devotions are just one more thing to check of our To Do list.
It is important to take the time to marvel at the truths we find in God’s Word. Verse 10 of Psalm 25 gives us great hope in God’s character and challenges us to walk in obedience. “All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.”
Have Confidence In The Lord
This is only the first half of the psalm and yet there is so much we can learn from it. As I said a few days ago, even a single verse can give us much to think about.
Do we believe it? Would our children say we believe it? Do we focus on God’s goodness even when things aren’t going well? When life is in turmoil? Do we trust the Lord to do what is right? Do our words and actions assure our children that this is the case?
What we say and do will speak volumes to our family members. If we have confidence in the Lord and His character, they are far more likely to develop that same confidence.
Steph Nickel
Steph Beth Nickel is eclectically interested and eclectically involved. In all she does, Steph seeks to nurture and inspire. She is currently working on the first book in a nonfiction series. Nurture and Inspire LOVE is a compilation of the first devotionals she wrote for HopeStreamRadio.
Steph is a freelance writer and editor. She is the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’ award-winning memoir, Living Beyond My Circumstances, published by Castle Quay Books. Deb and Steph are working on a follow-up book.
You can visit her website, stephbethnickel.com, to learn more about her.
Visit Steph’s contributor’s page or at Steph Nickel’s Eclectic Interests.
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