TRUST IN THE LORD?

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV - 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 straight your paths

This verse may well be one of the very first I ever memorized and it has given me great comfort over the years.  Whatever language you understand and whatever version you prefer, you should know this verse by heart.  In the past few weeks as I studied the book of Job I came to one conclusion; we are gnats living at the whim of a giant of unfathomable knowledge, wisdom and holiness.  He is not moved by our ignorance except to feed us knowledge.  He is not moved by our pain except to offer us love and a direction away from that pain.

All Job’s friends offered him wonderful advice following Man’s wisdom about God and of the four of them, the three oldest and wisest were wrong.  Job had not sinned.  He did not deserve what happened to him.  There was no handy scriptural formula or pattern that could lift their friend up from his current position of grief and restore his fortunes.  For his part, Job was incensed that they would keep demanding that he acknowledge his faults and admit to the sin they KNEW must be there.  Job had kept the faith and had not sinned against God in word or deed; a miraculous event in itself.  If he had a fault it was to cry out, “I have not fallen short!”  That led God to censure him for his pride.

The fourth man was a young man and he of the four did not blame Job for his sins.  He was far more angry with the other three for failing to offer any help to Job in his circumstances.  Of the four, he alone did not warrant a chastening from God.  The others were so certain of their righteous understanding that they failed to acknowledge that there might be some wisdom, deep wisdom, that God had not chosen to reveal to them.  God’s insistence that they offer a sin offering through Job was a complete slap in the face to their pride and arrogance. 

I feel like the fourth man.  I know we are not perfect and never insist that I have perfect and flawless knowledge of God’s Word.  I have learned enough to know that there are many levels to knowledge in God’s Word and I have just scratched the surface.  When I hear someone say, “It doesn’t take all that to serve God,” I know that they have completely missed the depth and holiness of God’s Word. It truly is living and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword.  I may die for my faith but as long as I live I will live for it as well.

I love how God sought Job’s input on the creation of the universe.  “Tell me little man if you can, how did you stand the earth on it’s pillars and set the stars in place (Job 38:3).”  Job’s answer is priceless,  “Lord, I’m just going to sit here with my hand over my mouth and SHUT UP! (Job 40:3-5)”  This is often a wise decision that should be copied by all the earth.  You may not understand God and what He is doing in the earth today, but He expects your total faith, obedience and adherence to His Word, whether you know why things are happening or not. 

Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason?”

It appears that the angels present themselves to God at regular intervals, perhaps on a yearly basis.  Notice that they are called the “Sons of God, Ben Elohim.”  Some have tried to say that this referred to the line of Seth the son of Adam but in reality Seth was not Ben Elohim but Ben Adam, son of Adam.  Only angels were called the sons of God until after the crucifixion of Jesus when we too were redeemed and could be called the sons of God.  Prior to that point all mankind – except for Adam – were called ben Adam.  Only Adam was ben Elohim because he was a direct creation of God.  After the fall it only applied to angels until Jesus came and redeemed us to God.

You can hear a note of curiosity in God’s question to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?”  Satan “the accuser” answered, “Why shouldn’t Job serve you faithfully.  You have him hedged and protected from all harm.”  Satan was once Lucifer, the brightest angel of great light.  His pride darkened his vision and now he can only see things through that pride and anger.  Angels have free will just as we do.  Do you stop to consider that God must work with angels as well?  Isn’t it possible that even the Angels must be trained and taught?  We wrongly tell ourselves that we are the center of God’s universe when we might well be a poor neighborhood with a high crime rate; a slum in effect.  He has a universe of life and light and we may well be just a small part of that universe.  

Stop screaming.  I know most of us believe we are the greatest creation of God and this universe is all ours.  Perhaps, but there is no certainty of that.

In Job Satan once again questions the honor of God, “Doth Job serve you for nothing?   Notice Genesis 3:1 where Satan works to seduce Eve,

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

Hath God said…?  What is the main challenge from those who want to disbelieve scripture?  You hear it time and time again, “Is the Bible real?”  “Is the Bible true?”  “Is homosexuality wrong?”  “Is stealing wrong?”  It is only a step or two from “Thus saith the Lord,” to “Did He really?” to “It doesn’t take all that.”  Men and women now actively insult and mock a God they say they do not believe in and yet when they really want to curse someone they choose the name of God.  Even in homosexual relationships there is always a masculine and a feminine partner.  Our sexuality was preordained from the garden of God in Eden.  Even when we try to change our passions through abominable practices we still are drawn by the Word of God to truth, even if it is a false symbol of truth. 

Psalm 44:22 KJV 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 straight your paths.

Live before God according to SCRIPTURE and He will direct, guide and make straight your paths.  This doesn’t say you will always enjoy the path He has you on.  Jesus didn’t.  You might ask yourself why you are led in a particular life direction but if it is scriptural and godly then let God direct you.  He has preordained your path and your provision.  Walking with the Lord is a growth process.  He is not concerned if you don’t use all your gifts immediately as long as you are willing to press into them and gradually grow into your complete purpose. 

If we judge ourselves by others we may feel good about ourselves or bad depending on who you observe.  If you judge yourself against God you will always acknowledge your weaknesses, flaws and dependence on Him.  This is just fine with God.  Where we are weak, He is strong.  Not leaning on God is considered a lack of faith.  Failing to trust in Him is sin as well.

Isaiah 53:7 KJV He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Jesus had a powerful reason to release His life and comfort…your salvation.  God certainly could have protected Dr. Martin Luther King or more recently Pastor / Senator Pinckney.  There may come a time when your death will win more souls and progress the purpose of God to a greater degree than simply dying of old age.  Are you willing to be so spent?  I suppose it would grieve me to know that my death would do more good than my life, but I am still hopeful that I am somewhat centered on the path God has for me.  As an individual, I want to see God do more with me…selfishly I suppose.  In Christ I am willing to spend and be spent for the gospel sake. 

Acts 8:29 KJV Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.—32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.

Should we do less?  God considered this passage of greater importance to the eunuch than any other.  It was so important that He supernaturally transported a preacher to explain it to him.  Jesus was led as a sheep to the slaughter and did not open His mouth to call down the angels to defend Him.  That call was His right.  If you had the right to speak an end to someone, would you use it?  Wisely?  Without error?  Would you know the heart of that man or woman you ordained to die?  I don’t think so.  This is why God will often keep us in those places of trial and pain until we cry out, “Not my will but thine be done Lord!”  Then He knows you have given all.  If you curse Him and rail against His plan for your life it won’t stop Him from working on you.  It will however let Him know you aren’t ready for release yet.  You need more time in the slow cooker.

Back to the above scripture.  God for His own reasons informed the Eunuch that Jesus had not died permanently as was supposed and that He would return again.  Why would this be so important to God and the Eunuch?  I have an idea but for now remember, God never does anything for frivolous reasons.  He always has a powerful purpose.  There is reason enough to believe that God will still do this today for reasons important to His plan.

Romans 8:35 KJV Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Shall we do less?  Once again I ask the question.  Should we do less than Jesus?  When Jesus met Nathaniel He told him that He saw him in the spirit praying to god.  Nathaniel said, “You are the son of God.”  Jesus answer was, “Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these (John 1:50).”  As the body of Christ we are supposed to be walking miracles.  Our lives should be surrendered to His Word to the point that God will give a quiet unction and we will move immediately or as the Word says, “suddenly.” 

We are kings and priests.  Kings rule.  Priests intercede.  The body of Christ ought never be powerless and defeated.  I remember watching movies as a kid where they would burn a witch or an evil person.  That person would curse them and speak terrible imprecations against the one who punished them.  The most you might do to me is to kill me and I promise you this; if you do, God will have something powerful to say about it.  Revelation speaks of the tribulation saints crying out from under the altar, “Lord, where is our justice (Revelation 6:10)!  The day of grace was over and the day of the vengeance of our God had begun.

Psalm 116:12 What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? 13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. 14 I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

God does not take your life OR death lightly.  You are not God and may never understand His complete ways.  God is eternal.  Even He cannot remember a time when He did not exist.  Life in Christ requires a sacrifice just as it required a sacrifice for Jesus Himself.  Roman’s chapter eight is one of the greatest chapters in the Bible.  In verses 16-18 God said,

“16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint- heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

Just how much authority does your flesh have over your joy, happiness and self worth?  Does your spirit rule or your flesh and passions?  We live in a dangerous world and yet for the one who is bought by the blood of the Lamb of God it is safe and secure.  You might lose your life, but it will only cause you to gain it eternally.  I hope you will understand that while trials and tribulations come they are not to cause us any terror or sudden fear (1 Peter 3:6). 

I wrote this lesson after hearing dozens of men and women cry to me about their pain and sorrow and wondered why God didn’t do something.  He has His reasons.  That may well be the only comfort you will have.  There is more than enough TRUTH with a capitol T in the Bible to let you know it is truly the Word of God.  That said, you will still have to trust Him when all the lights are out and the heavens are brass.  I have great respect for those who have learned to serve God without prophetic gifts or major prophetic words in their lives.  Those people serve God based purely on what they read in the Bible and live victorious lives.  What would I have done in those circumstances? 

Beloved, having done all to stand, stand therefore.

Bishop J