trusting God

God’s Heavenly Hotline

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God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. Psalm 46:1-2 KJV

When the people of Israel left Egypt, they were terrified as they faced the Red Sea in front of them with Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit behind. So, they ran to Moses demanding answers and blaming Him for the situation. On his part, Moses knew that they were partly right: he didn’t know what to do either, so he dialed God’s heavenly hot line. When Moses called, God answered in spectacular fashion and parted the water of the sea. Now, you might think that when the Israelites saw God’s power that allowed them to escape, Pharoah’s army while drowning their enemies, that they would trust God from then on.

But just like us, every time another emergency arose, they repeated the same complain and blame game over and over again. No matter how many times God delivered them they didn’t trust Him the next time, and things aren’t that much different today. Instead of chariots, and a dead end at the seashore, we face political divisions, environmental disasters, and economic crises. Just like the people of Israel we feel as if our world is about to end, but the good news is that God still answers His heavenly hotline. Just as it was back then, God is the only one with the answers. So, before turning on the news today, remind yourself that He who protected the Israelites so long ago will guard our homes and hearts if we trust in Him. Even when mountains fall into the sea, He promises to walk with us and be our refuge and strength. So, when problems, fears, or catastrophes strike, why not do what Moses did? Fall on your knees and call God’s Heavenly Hotline today!

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I’ve Got Confidence!

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I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song: he has become my salvation. Psalms 118:13-14 ESV

“Are you sure you can do this?” Mike yelled over the sound of the rushing water.

“No problem, I’ve got confidence!” I shouted back as I started my chainsaw and undercut my way through the trunk of the uprooted tree that I was standing on. But as the saw sliced through the last inch of bark, I realized too late to change things that I had terribly miscalculated the outcome. In one terrifying moment I was catapulted head over heels into chest deep freezing water. By God’s grace the saw flew harmlessly into the river, and I landed unhurt but embarrassed. Most humiliating of all was hearing my coworker Mike’s hysterical laughter, as he kept repeating over and over, “I’ve got confidence! Yes, I’ve got confidence!” Just as I didn’t think I needed help, until I was catapulted through the air, many of us find ourselves in spectacular fails because we have plenty of confidence but have based it on ourselves instead of God. Sometimes I wonder if God stands on the other side of the stream laughing hysterically and repeating our boastings a few times to the angels, before coming again to our rescue. But the good news is that even when we have catapulted ourselves into our own problem, He has promised to be our strength when we cry to Him for help. He is the one who not only is our song, but He also becomes our salvation. Through our prideful actions we may have sent us flying head over heels by unexpected outcomes, thank God that even at those moments, He will come to our rescue when we put our trust and confidence only in Him!

Who Are You Going To Trust?

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The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 ESV

Even some of my American friends may not know that here in the United States our national motto is “In God We Trust.” Ironically, this motto appears, neither on our flag, nor in our constitution but on our money, and was introduced not at the height of our prosperity, but during the darkest days of our Civil War. It came about in response to a letter from a Reverend Watkinson appealing to the Treasury Secretary, that we as a nation needed to publicly acknowledge God if we were to receive His help. Though the letter was sent in 1861, it took three years to be instituted. Finally in 1864, when, despite the many victories of the Northern States, the painful reality was that both sides were suffering devastation, death and tragedy on a scale never seen before in our history. Then, just when our hopes were at their lowest “In God We Trust” was introduced on the 2-cent piece. This national decision at that pivotal time, should be a wake-up call for us in the midst of social upheaval, violence, and division. We need to realize that we will never be blessed as “One nation under God” until we remember that our trust in God must not be a bold boast, but a cry to Him for help. Today’s verse reminds us that our greatest hope is not in victory, nor in success, but in the promise that our God will hear our cry. He is our hope this morning and for every morning. Whatever our disappointment; Whatever our despair; whatever our weakness: God has promised to hear us, to come to us and to comfort us, if we put our trust in Him. Of course, that doesn’t imply that everything in our lives will wonderful when we trust God, but that whatever we face, He has promised to be right by our side because we belong to Him!

“We cannot always trace God's hand, but we can always trust God's heart.”
Charles Spurgeon
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