“Do You Trust Me?"
Do you remember that scene in Aladdin, when he holds out his hand to Jasmine and says, “Do you trust me?”…and she then grabs his hand?
With all the sickness & death, financial loss, forced homeschooling, work from home, face mask mandates, church online, isolation and continued unknowns that we are facing, I can picture God reaching out His hand to us and saying, “Do you trust me?”
The “Do you trust me?” question really boils down to whether or not we accept God for Who HE is. We have discussed our need to accept God’s acceptance of us as we are (see the blog, “The View that Changed Everything”) but we also need to accept who God is? To do that, we need to know who He really is.
You see, God doesn’t ask us to have mindless trust in Him. Hebrews 11:1 describes that “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” Faith is based on reality and evidence. It’s actually reasonable to have faith in God.
Outside of believing in eternity, we are left with trying to explain life only by what we think, see, feel, taste, and smell. If that’s what we put our faith in (yes, we all live by faith that what we believe is true), then our answer to God is, “No, I don’t trust you; I trust myself.” And we don’t grab His hand.
Before Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land, Joshua 1:9 shows us that God said, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
The key to us being strong and courageous as well as not being afraid or discouraged, is knowing who God really is. It’s knowing His character that gives us strength and courage even when we’re facing the worst that life can bring, like sickness; financial hardship; broken relationships; loss of home; death of a loved one; betrayal of a friend; sudden tragedy; and even our own death.
Some of what the Bible reveals of God’s character is that He (you can click on the reference to see the verse):
Has no beginning or end - Colossians 1:17
Never changes - Malachi 3:6
Is all-powerful - Psalm 33:6
Is all-knowing - Isaiah 46:9-10
Is everywhere at all times - Jeremiah 23:24
Is faithful - Deuteronomy 7:9
Is good - Psalm 34:8
Is right and perfect - Deuteronomy 32:4
Is compassionate & kind - Romans 9:15-16
Is gracious – Psalm 145:8
Is love - 1 John 4:8
That is a description of the God that is for YOU!
Knowing God’s character is what makes it possible to trust Him even when everything around us doesn't make sense. We don’t blindly trust in a religious image, but in a living, loving God that has proven Himself trustworthy.
My prayer is that you know the character of this amazing God that loves you and is with you. Then, when He asks you, “Do you trust me?”, you will place your hand in His with complete, reasonable trust no matter what you’re facing. May you have strength and courage that comes from knowing Who God is and that He is with you wherever you go. Yes, YOU can trust Him!
We thank God for you and love you much! ~ Dean
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