Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
I read about a Christian missionary to a Central American country who traveled on a dangerous mountain road. She was stuck behind a slow moving truck and it was difficult to see very far ahead. The mountain was famous for its steep, narrow curves, excessive potholes, blind corners, hair-raising cliffs and careless drivers that tried to pass. Crosses dotted the landscape to remind the living about the souls who died there.
She tried to get a better view, and thought she might get some direction from the truck driver. Normally, when traveling on the roads, a driver might slow down, pull over or give hand signals in order to help other drivers pass.
As they approached a curve, the hand of the driver began to wave the missionary on to pass, but it was such a big curve, the missionary decided to stay behind the truck. On the next curve, when the driver started waving again, the missionary began to question his judgment. This went on for about ten or twelve curves and the missionary was so uncertain of his advice that she continued to stay behind him. Then, when the driver started waving frantically, she decided to take his advice. She put her foot on the accelerator and moved to pass him.
As the missionary came up to the driver’s side, she turned to the truck driver to thank him even though she hadn’t taken much of his advice. As she came parallel to the truck, she noticed that the driver was calmly talking to his passenger. The missionary noticed something else: it was the cow’s tail in the back of the truck that had been giving her the “hand signals” along the way.
Question: Whom do you follow? Where do you place your trust?
When someone places their trust in Jesus Christ as the Lord of their life, Jesus directs and protects them. He is the most trustworthy source you can have.
The missionary wasn’t solely following a cow’s tail—Jesus was guiding her around every curve.
TRUSTING GOD MAY INVOLVE MOVING FORWARD
In the book of Exodus, the Israelites had escaped from Egypt. The mighty Egyptian army and Pharaoh were right on their heels. Israel was literally between a rock (the land) and a hard place (the Red Sea).
So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord (1) … “The Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace.”(2) And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.”(3)
You can pray for God’s will to be done, but your trust in Him must be combined with action to demonstrate your faith. God wanted Israel to move forward to show their enemies that their God was real and He protected them. In Exodus, God repeats this: “The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.”(4) The Egyptians realized this too late that God was fighting against them: “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”(5)
1. Exodus 14:10
2. Exodus 14:14
3. Exodus 14:15
4. Exodus 14: 4, 18
5. Exodus 14:25
TRUSTING GOD MAY MEAN STANDING STILL
When the Assyrian king, Sennacherib sent envoys to threaten King Hezekiah and the nation of Judah, the Assyrians foolishly challenged God’s authority. The Assyrian king asked: “What confidence is this in which you trust?”(6)
Assyria was a warring and ruthless nation. They had completely destroyed other lands and wanted to add Judah to their list. Messengers from Assyria brought a letter from Sennacherib to Hezekiah telling him to make tribute and surrender to them. Hezekiah presented the letter to God and prayed. The prophet Isaiah assures the deliverance of Judah: Thus says the Lord: “Do not be afraid of the words you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.”(7)
And it came about on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were corpses—all dead. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer stuck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. (8)
God did all the work. He destroyed a proud, vicious army and took out their king as well.
6. 2 Kings 18:19
7. 2 Kings 19:6-7
8. 2 Kings 19:35-37
TRUSTING GOD CAN TAKE YOU ON AN UNFAMILIAR ROUTE
If there was an example of one man whose life was full of twists and turns, and ups and downs, it was Joseph. His life was a roller coaster, but His trust in God remained firm. He was loved by his father and envied by his brothers; they hated him so much that they initially thought about killing him, but decided to sell him into slavery instead. The traders who bought the teenager sold him to a high-ranking officer in Egypt. The young man served the household well until the lady of the house (and the officer’s wife) tried to seduce him. After Joseph refused her advances, he was accused of attempted rape, and put into prison for several years. He was released when a former cellmate recommended him to the king as an interpreter of dreams. When Joseph correctly interpreted the king’s dream, he was made governor of all Egypt, specifically in charge of the storehouses of grain. When a severe famine spread across the land, Joseph’s brothers traveled to Egypt to buy grain and came face-to-face with the governor—their long lost brother.
There is a lingering phrase that moves across Joseph’s thirteen-year journey and it is repeated many times. “And the Lord was with Joseph…" (9) and “…the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.” (10) “The Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field.”(11) “But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy…” (12) and “…the Lord was with him and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.”(13)
Joseph never complained about God; he never wondered where God was; he never went into a pit of despair. He knew that he served a trustworthy God, whether he was living as a slave, a prisoner or as an official in the Egyptian government.
After all Joseph went through, he beautifully honors God when he tells his brothers this: “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring about as it is this day; to save many people alive.” (14)
Psalm 73:23 says it best: Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand.
9. Genesis 39:2
10. Genesis 39:3
11. Genesis 39:5
12. Genesis 39:21
13. Genesis 39:23
14. Genesis 50:20
Finally...
You’re on rocky ground everyday. Your life is just a vapor. Don’t you need a dependable, truthful, powerful hand to help you navigate the hazardous areas that you can’t see? What current source are you depending on now? You may rely on information from someone close to you or a peer group or a political party. You may love and respect that person or organization, but where are they getting their information? Are you afraid to “peel back the onion”? Maybe if you look behind the curtain as Dorothy and her friends did in the Wizard of Oz, you might discover that you trust a fallible person who only pretends to have all the answers.
The Bible says: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (15) As much as we’d like to believe in our trusted source, everyone has a motive, agenda or bias that we can’t know unless it is revealed to us.
When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you can have the confidence that you are following the One who is “The Way, the Truth and the Life.” (16) Jesus Christ loves you. He died for your sins. When you believe in Him as the Lord of your life, you will be reconciled to God.
Jesus is not weak like the wizard behind the curtain. He is strong and wants to be involved in your life. He will always show you the right way to go. There is no need to fear His directions, because He loves you and His heart and motives are pure. Ask these questions to find out if you are placing your trust in the right place:
Does your information honor God?
Does your information align with Biblical values?
Does your information give you peace?
Is your information always reliable and consistent?
Is your information based on wisdom?
Is your information true?
You’re traveling down a narrow, pot-holed road on a deep curve—where would you prefer to get your instructions—from a cow’s tail, or the mighty hand of God?
15. Jeremiah 17:9
16. John 14:6
Prayer
Almighty God, You sit above the heavens and look down on the earth. There is no one above You. Your wisdom is infallible. You are a shield to all who trust You. I can trust you because of Your character and because of Your love for me. Lord, there are ways that seem right to me, but those ways lead to death and pain and ultimately, lead me further away from You. Please instruct me and teach me in the way that I should go. I know You will guide me on the right path. Help me to follow You all the days of my life. Thank you for being a trustworthy God who keeps an eye on His people. In Jesus Name, I pray. Amen.
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