Trusting Jesus

Rhema TeamMay 2019 WOF1 Comment

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One of my favorite church hymns is “’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.” It comforts me and reminds me that we can trust Jesus with our lives. The first verse and refrain go like this: “’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His word; Just to rest upon His promise; And to know, Thus saith the Lord! Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er; Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus! Oh, for grace to trust Him more.”*

I have sung that song multiple times. A scripture that has guided my life since my teen years is Proverbs 3:5–6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

I like how The Message Bible translates it: “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.”

What does trust mean? The Hebrew word behind trust is intense. It means “to lean the whole body on something to rest upon it.” We trust every day. When I sit in a chair at my kitchen table, I trust it will hold me up. When I step on my brakes in my car, I trust they will stop the car. When I consume food, I trust it will nourish my body.

When our grandson Cameron was five, he loved jumping off the platform after service and hollering at his Poppy to catch him. My husband always reached out and caught him. One time Cameron didn’t holler until he was in midair. Ken quickly turned around and grabbed Cameron even though he only had a short warning. Although Ken was talking to someone, he was still tuned into his grandson’s familiar voice. God is always tuned into our cries for help.

We trust in the natural realm every day. How much more should we trust our Heavenly Father? Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition defines trust as: “Assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something; one in which confidence is placed.”

Who better can we trust than our Heavenly Father? I have endeavored to trust God all my life. When He called me into the ministry, I trusted Him to lead me to the right mate to fulfill that calling.

I trusted Him to lead my husband and me to the right places to fulfill our call. The enemy often tempts us to not trust in the Lord. Our minds say, “You must be crazy. You can’t accomplish that!”

Oftentimes, we don’t know what decision to make. But God always has the answer. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Lean not unto thine own understanding.”

The Hebrew word for understanding means “wisdom or knowledge.” We are not to rely on our faulty human wisdom and limited understanding. Instead, we are to trust in the Lord and lean on His wisdom.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.Proverbs 3:5–6

Sometimes we haven’t a clue of how God can work out a situation. Isaiah 55:8–9 (NLT) says:
“ ‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the Lord. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ ”

I am reminded of God’s plan for the children of Israel to possess Jericho. When He revealed the plan to Joshua, I am quite sure that was not the battle plan Joshua had in mind. He was probably looking at seizing Jericho from a military perspective.

Can you imagine getting directions to march around Jericho’s walls with the priests leading the way? Then God instructed the priests to blow their horns and the people to shout loudly on the seventh day. When they did that, the walls would fall!

It must have taken great faith for Joshua to carry out the Lord’s orders. Sometimes it takes great faith to trust God’s plans. But as you do as He asks, His plans will always bring success to your life.



*“’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus,” Words by Louisa M. R. Stead, 1882. Music by William J. Kirkpatrick, 1882. Public Domain.

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Lynette Hagin

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