Faith and Trust

The Cornerstones of Christianity

Psalm 40:4

Blessed is the person who places his trust in the LORD and does not rely on arrogant people or those who follow lies. (God’s Word Translation)

Blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood (lies). (NASB)

What does it mean to Trust?

Webster’s defines trust as:

Firm belief in the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing; to have confidence or reliance.

Let’s reread the passage with these insertions:

Blessed is the person who puts his firm belief in the integrity, the ability, and the character of the Lord and does not rely on arrogant people or follow those who lie.

I’m reading a good book right now called, “You Can Have Mountain Moving Faith” by Johnathan Wallace. I’m about 1/2 through and hope to finish it this afternoon. It’s both thought provoking and inspiring.

Here are a few of the many key points from the book that resonated with me:

• The Bible tells us (Hebrews 11:16) that without faith it is impossible to please God. That’s why faith is a fundamental; it’s the ABC’s of Christianity.

• Faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something. It is trusting that He is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do.

• Faith is having something settled inside of you to the degree that you know that you know that what God said about the subject is true.

Most importantly, Faith says we HAVE; Hope says we WILL HAVE. Maybe.

Rereading Mark 11:24 from a perspective of FAITH gives what Jesus said a whole new meaning for me:

“I tell you, you can pray for anything, and IF YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU **HAVE RECEIVED IT,** it will be yours.”

We are to have faith - believe - know - trust - that we have already received it...not hope that we will receive it at some point in the future. If you HOPE your prayers will be answered, that’s not faith. And it’s not trust either.

Our prayers are meant to be answered. They are not supposed to hit the ceiling and return void.  We may not have what we want in our hot little hands, but our prayers HAVE been answered.

That is why when I pray for something I specifically want, I always include the words,

Thank you Lord for answering my request. I ask for this...or something better, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our requests may be far smaller than what the God of the Universe, the Creator and Giver of all things, has in mind for us.

Putting the two together – faith and trust – faith is knowing our prayers have been heard and have already been answered; trust is what carries us through the time of waiting for the physical manifestations.

Prayers for Our Country

We have been praying for our country, our constitution, and for the restoration of our moral compass for many months, even years. The time is now to stand firm in FAITH and put our TRUST in the Lord and in the outcome(s) He has in store for the United States and the rest of the world.

We may never see the end result of our prayers, especially when we pray for something much bigger than our immediate needs. For example, Abraham didn’t see his offspring that would become as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the shore. But he had FAITH it would come to pass and TRUSTED in God’s word, to the point of being willing to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, the only path forward to God’s promise. Two thousand years later, many millions have been on Earth that were his descendants.

When we are impatient, we need to TRUST in the Lord and not listen to “arrogant people” and “those who tell lies” about our foolish beliefs and how our prayers will be fruitless. We need to NOT lean to our own understanding, as the Word tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Be careful which humans you trust

Whatever it is we THINK we know about the current political, global, and medical situations, we really only have a tiny glimmer of what is really going on.

Even with the voluminous sized files and 1,000+ page reports extracted by FOIA requests, and the meticulous analysis of independent journalists and attorneys, we still don’t know the complete ominous picture. And there is still more to be uncovered. The Overlords have had decades to prepare for what we are just starting to see. Sometimes what is revealed is nearly overwhelming.

But we were told in Luke 8:17

For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.

• If you get your information from social media, be selective of the sources you follow, respect, and believe.

• If you get your information from the mainstream media, you’re only getting what they WANT you know. The Propaganda Machine is powerful and is continuing to censor as much as they possibly can to maintain their crumbling control.

In the meantime, remember what the Lord said about worry in Matthew 6:25-34:

Do not worry about your life... but seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness so all these things shall be added to you.

What should we do RIGHT NOW?

• Develop a deep understanding of the meaning of FAITH.

• Know in your ‘knower’ that God hears our petitions and delivers what is best for us. That’s FAITH.

• Trust in the Lord. Don’t be distracted by what we see or hear from the liars of this world who are here to distract and discourage us.

• Keep our eyes on Him.  

Today’s prayer:

Dear Lord, we are continuing to pass through tumultuous times, traveling in unchartered waters. We don’t know what to do next. We’re not sure if we are to run off – or if we should sit tight. We’re not sure if we should fight back or hunker down. We’re not sure what our country is going to look like in the future or what calamities we should be preparing for.  

Therefore, Lord, the most important and actually, the ONLY thing we can do each day is deepen our faith and to develop a stronger trust in You. Learning to cast our fears and our doubts onto You is a daily exercise we must perform. Lord God, we waiver because we try to solve our problems and make decisions through our own strength, which is impossible.

Thank you for giving us Wisdom. Thank you for Your patience as we learn to live in deeper faith. We fall, scuff up our knees, get up and resume walking in trust, hand-and-hand with You because You will never leave us. Ever.

We thank You for being the One True God that through Your Son, Christ Jesus, we can rest in knowing every moment of our life is in Your hands. Protect us Lord. Thank you that our prayers have already been answered. Keep us forever close unto You. In gratitude and in Jesus’ name, Amen.