Do You Think God Can Really Be Trusted?
The Israelites failed to trust and obey…If only they’d known God’s heart for them. Maybe they would have responded in a different way.
Over and over, God invites me to trust Him with every detail of my life. Truth is, I don’t always do it because it’s scary sometimes…especially when I don’t understand how the puzzle pieces fit together.
Understanding God’s heart matters
The Israelites felt the same way. We know that’s true by their negative response when God told them to enter the Promised Land. They failed to trust and obey because, despite His guaranteed sovereignty on their behalf, they couldn’t imagine marching into enemy territory and claiming victory. If only they’d known His heart for them. Maybe they would have responded in a different way.
Ezekiel 20:5-6 says,
“When I chose Israel—when I revealed myself to the descendants of Jacob in Egypt—I took a solemn oath that I, the Lord, would be their God. I took a solemn oath that day that I would bring them out of Egypt to a land I had discovered and explored for them—a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the best of all lands anywhere.”
God’s words reveal His heart
Do these sound like flippant words spoken by a god who didn’t really care about Israel’s well-being? I think not.
They’re solemn words spoken by the living God who loved His people intensely. He’d taken an oath that He would be their God—forever on their side, forever faithful to watch over them and provide for their needs. He’d picked out the best land for them and checked out every detail before giving them marching orders. He knew the outcome of their obedience, and He guaranteed that it would be good.
And yet, the people refused to trust and obey. Why? Because they didn’t understand His character or His love for them.
Let’s choose to trust His heart
The same is true for you and me. When God asks us to trust Him and we fail to do so, it all boils down to one thing: we don’t understand His character or His love. If we did, the unknown wouldn’t frighten us. We’d trust Him with every detail of our lives without hesitation even if we didn’t understand how the puzzle pieces fit together.
God has sworn to be our God. He takes His responsibility for us seriously. With that in mind, let’s choose to trust Him. Imagine the freedom and rest we could experience. No more worries. No more doubts. No more fears.
Any thoughts?
Do you think God can be trusted with the details of your life?
Know you are loved,
Grace
Enjoyed this article. Lived it. Was too afraid to trust – was too stubborn to trust. Living with the consequences. Many people blame God for the situations their in, when the choices have been made by them. They can choose to obey or ‘go their own way’. Whatever choice they make, the future is what they made it, not God.
God’s plan for us, like the Israelites is to give us a future full of promise and hope. We choose to accept it or not based on the decisions we make.
Always worth pondering our past to learn from our mistakes and vow to listen when God talks in the future.
Thank you – good thought for the day – Diane
Thanks for you honest insights, Diane. I appreciate your transparency and wisdom.