“Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine
He’s been my fourth man in the fire, time after time
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood
And what He did for me on Calvary is more than enough”
Trust in God, Elevation Worship
“Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust,
And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.”
Psalm 40:4: (NKJV)
Trust and faith seem to be inextricably intertwined, so much so that they can be used interchangeably in most cases. In my experience the only real difference is the context in which they are most often employed. Faith implies some sort of mysticism or spirituality where trust just feels more tangible and material in a lot of ways.
In Psalm 40 David explores this concept of trust, contemplating on what it means to trust in God.
Trust is most often used to describe a relational situation where we have confidence in the reliability, truth and ability of someone or something.
David had a relationship with God. He was a friend of God. He loved God, and God loved him – flaws and all.
I like David. I feel strongly linked to him and relate to him on a level that I cannot explain. For a long time I thought it was because of a shared love of poetic and musical expression – but the truth is it is because we are both extremely broken people who go through valleys, fight giants, hide in caves and make huge mistakes – and yet… God, with His infinite love, mercy and grace picks us up every time, dusts us off and puts us back on solid ground.
David starts Psalm 40 with “I waited patiently on the Lord…”
It is easy for us to get discouraged in our waiting. The journey sometimes gets too long, the road winds too much – in the valley we look up at the mountain and wonder how we are going to get there.
I am no stranger to discouragement.
At a recent outreach I was talking to a young man who was struggling to get up in the morning – he just didn’t see the point in living any more.
I am no stranger to that kind of depression and existential anxiety – the kind that makes you want to crawl into a cave and hide there.
In all of this though, I have never lost trust in God.
I came to faith in a time and in a church where the Gospel was preached. Not prosperity, not promises of wealth and good health – but the Gospel. And yes, God promises all kinds of good things in His Word, but the moment these things become the centre of our faith we have lost sight of Jesus.
The Gospel is this: God so loved the world that He took on flesh and hung on the cross for us – so that we may be free of our burden of sin and the sting of death.
The Gospel is this: God loved us while we were still His enemies. He saved us from an eternity of fire and brimstone and restored us to proper relationship and right standing with Him.
In this life we will have trouble. There will be times when we are in the fire – He will be the Fourth Man in the inferno. There will be times when we feel we are sinking, but He will extend His Hand and help us take the waves in our stride.
Jesus is not a get rich quick scheme. Jesus is not some kind of quick fix or a band aid for what ails you.
You will still mourn. You will still grieve. There will still be situations and circumstances in your life – no matter how much ‘dominion’ you take over it.
But in all of this – in the sorrow and in the despair, in the pain and the anguish, in the trials and tribulations – we still rejoice. In the fire and in the flood we stand strong in the knowledge that we are not alone. He is with us.
I particularly like the way the NIV phrases Psalm 40:4: “Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.”
If there is one thing I have learnt from looking at the life of David it is that we all go through ups and downs – but God never fails.
His love will always be a balm to the broken heart, a comfort in sorrow and a firm foundation for us to stand upon. His love will always be more than enough for me.
Let us look towards the exalted Christ today. Let us look upon His beautiful face. Let us leave our idols in the fire where they belong. Let us leave our pride in the flood.
Let us look towards Jesus and trust Him, fully confident in His truth, reliability and ability to carry us through.
In perfect submission to His will and His purpose we find rest, peace and contentment. In perfect submission to Him – whether rich or poor, sick or healthy – we will know the God that David knew. This God in whom we can charge an army. The God in which we can jump over even the highest wall.
In perfect submission to His heart, will and mind for us we can rest easy knowing that He never fails. We can endure all things, do all things, make it through in Him – when we stand firm in the knowledge that He loves us.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your love today. Thank You for never giving up on me, even though sometimes I feel like giving up. Thank You Jesus for seeing past all my flaws and failures, all my mistakes and for loving me regardless. Thank You Lord that in You I am made strong. Even when my bank account is empty, even when my pantry has run dry – when the fig tree does not blossom, and the vines carry no fruit – I will trust in You. Even when the flock is cut off from the fold – even when my heart faints and my body fails, I will trust in You! Give me the strength to endure, Lord. Give me the strength to wait patiently on You. In Jesus Name. Amen.