Trust II (Proverbs 25:3)

"As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the heart and minds of kings are unsearchable." Proverbs 25:3, Amplified

Who is our King but the Lord Himself. There are so many different things that we do not understand about Him. The ways in which He works are unknown to His children. But He truly makes all things work together for His own glory. We can never place ourselves, nor assume the responsibility, of questioning Him. He is so unsearchable. If this verse were to be translated into one word, that single word would be "trust".

Where to Run (Proverbs 18:10-11)

It is interesting to see what a person believes to be his refuge in times of trouble. Is it something tangible like money or possessions? Or is it something ethereal like the Lord?

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the [consistently] righteous man - upright and in right standing with God - runs into it and is safe, high [above evil] and strong." Proverbs 18:10, Amplified

If you have ever read the book of James, you would find that the entirety of the book is a dichotomy. A dichotomy is a comparison between two things. For James that comparison is between the flesh and the spirit. In these to verses this morning, we have laid out for us a dichotomy. What are we to trust in? More than that, however, is not really who or what to trust in, but who we are. Are we the righteous who trust in the Lord, or are we something else?

The righteous man makes the Lord his strong tower. Not even the Lord really, but just the name of the Lord. Once we understand who the Lord really is in our lives we can understand the true power of His name alone. Sometimes it is who you know that counts. There is so much power in the name of Jesus alone. All we need to do is run to the Lord in those times of trouble. I have some really good friends who are going through a very turbulent time in their lives. I talked to one of them for a long time the other day and she described life like having the Titanic dropped on them. After discussing with me all the things that they had been and are going through, I couldn't believe the strength of her faith still. She and her family truly understand that the Lord is the strong tower in their lives. A great man once said, "We have no control over the wind in adverse times, but we can always adjust our sails." How do we do this? Keeping an eye and our focus on Jesus. Allowing for Him to be our protection. My friends understand this concept, "We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not in despair; struck down, but not destroyed..." (Second Corinthians 4:8-9a, New King James) He is our strength and our strong tower.

"The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as a high protecting wall, in his own imagination and conceit." Proverbs 18:11, Amplified

Or there is the rich man who places his trust in his riches. Being rich is not a sin. Trusting in riches is misguided. These are turbulent time that we live in. This recession is devouring our country and this is not time to trust in the all mighty dollar. Before one makes money his strong city, there are a few concepts that he must understand first.

Money runs out: the money that one person has will always have an end. Even Donald Trump's fortune is not bottomless. There is an end to his wealth. The more common people have found this to be truer today than before. Money does not last forever. But the Lord has no end. There is no cap to His power and might.

Money's value is uncertain: everyday the value of the dollar changes. Today it is not worth what it used to be. But the Lord's value is inexhaustible. Though the market tumbles through these uncertain times, His value will never falter of fail. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

I once had someone question one of my entry's about money. I want to stress that I do not think that money is evil, or that having money makes one less of a believer. Riches do not make one's chances of going to heaven any less. I would love to have more money to take care of my family and be a little more comfortable. But there is one verse that I would like to close with today. "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed form the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (First Timothy 6:10, New King James)

Trust (Proverbs 16:20)

Everyone needs something or someone to trust in. In my experiences I have found that all things are untrustworthy except the Lord. He never fails.

"He who deals wisely and heeds [God's] Word shall find good, and whoever leans on, trusts and is confident in the Lord, happy, blessed, and fortunate is he." Proverbs 16:20, Amplified

There is nothing in the world that we can touch or experience that will fulfill us the way the Lord can. There is nothing in this world that we can trust in that will not let us down. Everything fails. The physical law of entropy I feel can be translated into the spiritual: everything breaks down. But the Lord, He never fails.

The words "it shall come to pass" appear 120 times in the Bible. The words "it came to pass" appear 176 times in the Bible. This more than compensates for all the times the Lord says that something will come to be.

The Lord has proven Himself faithful to humanity trough the centuries even to the point of sacrificing His Son to satisfy the need for blood. If our trust in solely in Him, then happy are we. If we lean solely one Him, then blessed are we. If we have confidence in nothing else other than Him then fortunate are we.

Faith in a Chair (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Trust has become just another word in the english vernacular. It used to be that trust was the ultimate idea in America. Faith is another word that can be used to describe trust. As Christians, this is a word with a little more familiarity. I had a friend who went to Africa to Preach the Gospel. He was trying to define faith to the local peoples because they had no word for it. Just as he is fumbling for the words one of the people from the village come into the hut where he is trying to define faith. The person was so tired that they leaned on the back of a chair and said, "I am so tired, I need this chair to hold me up." Just then, my friend had the idea to define faith as such. He told the people of the village that faith in God is like leaning on the back of a chair; when you are so tired and you cannot go on you need something to support you.

I God that chair of our lives?

"Lean on, trust and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind, and do not rely on you own insight or understanding." Proverbs 3:5, Amplified

Trust in the Lord should be our ultimate. There is no greater thing than trust. As we go about our daily tasks, trust is an issue that is so common we do not even realize it. When we go to the grocery store, we trust that when we buy the peanut butter that there is actually peanut butter in the jar. Buying a car, we trust that it is going to continue working for the next few years. We trust our waitresses, teachers and politicians, but can we trust the Lord? Is God that chair in our lives?

Over the years trust has been so closely associated with sight, smell, taste, feeling and hearing that some do not associate it with God. But faith on the other hand has been so disassociated with the five senses. I ask, what is the difference between faith and trust? Nothing.

This trust in the Lord needs to be whole heartedly as well. To rely on oneself negates the need for an outside Savior. If we do not need the Lord when buying a car or a house or to watch over our finances, then why do we need Him at all?

"In all your ways know, recognize and acknowledge Him, He will direct and make straight and plain your paths." Proverbs 3:6, Amplified

As we begin to trust the Lord with everything, then He will begin a work in us. In everything that we do we need to acknowledge Him and he will begin a work in us.

Just as the member of the village who came into the hut and acknowledged his need for the chair to support him, we too need to acknowledge the Lord when He supports us. As a result, the path laid out for us becomes much clearer. Think of it like a walkie-talkie. As we get closer to the other unit, the voice becomes clearer and clearer, easier to understand and discern. Do you see where I am going with this? Seek the Lord and listen to the Lord; as that relationship develops, then His voice becomes clearer and and easier to discern.