Trusting the Lord – GS2

ByJim Stephens

Scripture: Proverbs 29:25; Isaiah 8:11-13

Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety. (Proverbs 29:25 NLT)

The Lord has said to me in the strongest terms: “Do not think like everyone else does.  12 Do not be afraid that some plan conceived behind closed doors will be the end of you. 13 Do not fear anything except the Lord Almighty. He alone is the Holy One. If you fear him, you need fear nothing else.”  (Isaiah 8:11-13 NLT)

It seems as if people and circumstances can have a lot of control in our lives. 

  • Bosses, corporate executives, and department managers in distant offices with seemingly no real knowledge of us or the things we’re dealing with or how hard we work or how committed we are to our tasks and responsibilities can make decisions that throw our whole world into chaos.
  • Politicians (The people on the other side) can cheat and lie and manipulate and make it impossible for the Statesmen and Stateswomen (The people on our side) to get elected or to govern in a just and wise and beneficial way if they do get elected.
  • People we love (partners, children, parents, friends), can make choices that break our hearts and turn our world upside down.

We know that God is bigger than people or circumstances, but God is less visible and makes less noise most of the time! Often our relational, financial, health, and other situations can seem completely out of our hands, controlling our lives and hopes and dreams and expectations. Trusting the Lord is an active, rather than passive, process. We must stimulate our minds and hearts to active faith and trust – thinking, speaking, and acting on our trust in God.

Jean and I went through a season a few years back when decisions made by leaders in the organization we were part of changed things very suddenly and painfully for us. We weren’t accustomed to other people having that kind of control over us, and it was hard to keep our spirits sweet as it unfolded. It was at that time God Spoke to us through Isaiah 8:11-13. These became Life Verses for me then and still remind me to both trust and fear God alone!

Prayer:

Father, I love, fear, and respect you above anyone or anything else. I trust you with my past, my present, and my future. I know you have my best interests at heart and that you will not let me down. You alone are the Holy One. I trust you and I fear you. Amen.