Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust is a subject that we can turn to again and again. All of us can use more faith. There is always another proportion of faith to attain. Our trust and reliance on God are continually being tested. When we think we have faith to remove mountains, a more massive mountain is set before us to challenge us and grow our faith.

During these uncertain days, I believe we are taking a significant exam. A test reveals where we are or what we have acquired from the lessons we were taught.

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews records for us biblical men and women whose faith was found worthy of being our examples of perseverance and endurance during trying times. We tend to think of Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Samson, David, Samuel, Sarah, and Abraham as being larger than life. No, according to the Scriptures, they were men and women like us. If they achieved great faith, so can we.

God desires that we trust Him completely and rely on His strength, wisdom, and ability to bring us victoriously through any trial. According to Hebrews 11:6, “It is impossible to please God without faith.” When we trust God in our circumstances, it exalts Him and brings Him glory. Only God knows the trials we must face to mature our faith. I believe there are four primary ways that He does this.

• God Will Remove All of Our Props or Crutches.

God will remove things that we use for security, as well as, things that we use to nurture and support ourselves. This could manifest as, the loss of a job, separation from loved ones, or loss of support from people we once relied on. Yes, we could even find ourselves standing alone much like Paul during his first trial. “At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them” (2 Timothy 4:16).

• God Will Allow Persecution and Affliction to Come Upon Us.

When God is ready to take our trust to new dimensions, He sometimes allows others to persecute us like He did the believers in the early church (Acts 8:1). Persecution caused the early believers to scatter and spread the Good News, thus strengthening their faith. God will also, allow favor that we once had with others to lift. The same people that thought the world of us, will turn on us, and treat us like we have the plague. Don’t hate! Thank them, God is maturing us!

• God Will Withhold that One Thing that We So Desperately Desire.

Hannah, is a good example of someone whose faith and trust in God grew exponentially because of her desire to have a child. Although Hannah was being teased and taunted by her rival, her husband’s second wife, God withheld a child from Hannah for a season. When Hannah matured in her faith, she released her desires to God. Consequently, God opened Hannah’s womb and she gave birth to the little boy, Samuel (1 Samuel 1). Could it be that God is withholding your greatest desires for the purpose of maturing your faith?

• When God is Dealing With a Group or Nation, He Will Sometimes Allow Major Disaster or Calamity to Come Upon It.

As we look over the pages of history, we can see how God dealt with people groups or nations when He was building trust in them. He would allow them to get in a situation that they could not handle with human strength, wisdom or resources. The nation of Israel was notorious for getting themselves in predicaments that caused them grief from oppression. God would let them stay in their oppressed state until they cried out to Him. The Book of Judges records years of cyclical, disobedience, deliverance and peace.

When Jesus wanted the disciples to depend on Him for protection from danger, He told them to get in a boat and meet Him on the other side of the sea of Galilee. Jesus knew that the disciples would encounter a raging storm in the middle of the sea (Matt. 14:22-33). However, He wanted the disciples to know, no matter where you are, or what situation you find yourself in, you can depend on Me to come to the rescue.

Beloved, like the examples mentioned above, we are in a situation that only God can deliver us. Are we going to rely on and trust Him wholly from our hearts and not our lips? Let’s pass this test; it will  prepare us for the next ones that will undoubtedly come to challenge and strengthen us for the journey. God knows what’s best; therefore, He will do whatever it takes to get our complete trust.

Now declare…

I am trusting in the Lord with all of my heart and soul!

Posted by on Wednesday, October 14th, 2020 @ 10:30AM
Categories: Empowering, Encouragement, Inspirational
Tags: endurance, Faith, growth, test, trial, tust